Repeating the message to those who doubt his intentions is a means to keep himself in the news while planning his next moves.

Using cleverness, cunning, or whatever one wants to call his unique quality, Thaksin has managed, despite his status of politician in forced exile, to find ways to keep his foes on their toes, ever wary about sinister plots.

It is also a way for him to get even and eventually open up possibilities for a final settling of scores in his political vendetta.

Thaksin's moaning and seeking of sympathetic ears are a subtle ruse to fool those naïve enough to believe he means what he says. Being a man of his word has never been among his prime qualities, either in public speeches or election promises.

He has been successful to a certain extent in making some people believe he has lost the will to regain political power. Such an attempt might be difficult right now, but if there is any way for him to put his adversaries in any kind of trouble, he has no second thoughts on pursuing such a course.

After roaming the world's cities to make news through a wide range of activities such as golfing, seminars and shopping, and getting the junta leaders' adrenaline surging as a result, Thaksin has now managed to tells his tales of woe on local community radio stations through networks of his admirers. He spoke about his difficulties and the plight of his family members as a result of investigations that led to criminal proceedings for stock shenanigans and dodging income tax.

Police and officials of the Public Relations Department raided two radio stations but found no transmission equipment, which the operators claimed had been sent for repairs.

Through telling his hard-luck stories Thaksin has effectively put a number of people out of work and taken radio programmes off the air, probably permanently. (They might have been amply compensated financially for their unquestionable loyalty and potential legal troubles.)

Thaksin may have got satisfaction from making the junta leaders jumpy, but the consequences he has to face from now on could be overwhelming, as cases involving corruption and other irregularities in office are readied for court proceedings.

Another ploy in his battle to keep the public aware of his moves is the constant feeding of news about his plans to buy a British football club. This time around it is his reported attempt to buy Manchester City through an investment for a price in the range of £100 million (Bt6.5 billion).

This is a sharp comedown from his first target, Liverpool, which gave him maximum PR mileage during his final year in office before a military coup ousted him on September 19 last year.

The bid for a British football club is seen as a plan to get the Thai public to follow his moves on the international scene, though earlier attempts to do so by hiring US lobbyist and PR firms had a negative impact when Thailand was put on the US government's priority-watch list over trade issues.

The junta and Thaksin's critics no longer view him as a harmless politician in exile, especially now that he has experienced how much his immense wealth can do to give his foes political difficulties and image problems.

Thaksin's money was regarded as the main factor behind the "undercurrent" moves by his admirers, who made it clear that they want him back to settle the scores with those who engineered his downfall. Apart from fighting long legal battles, Thaksin still hopes to return home to regain power, despite his claim that he no longer has political ambitions.

Judging from previous promises and actions, Thaksin's words have to be heavily discounted or totally disregarded, unless he proves beyond any doubt that he is really quitting politics for good. But his fate still hangs in the balance regarding protracted legal troubles.

Thais are speculating on all sorts political scenarios arising from the May 30 verdicts of the Constitution Tribunal that could lead to the dissolution of both the Thai Rak Thai and Democrat parties. If the verdict is negative for Thai Rak Thai, it remains to be seen whether its members in rural areas can be aroused or instigated to stage raucous protests and street demonstrations.

It appears that the stage has now been set for a showdown, though it is not yet known who the combatants will be. The situation overall is tense, with jitters over current political troubles.

Whether the worries are misplaced or signs of a new crisis should be known not long after the tribunal's verdicts.

Sopon Onkgara