Setting up guards to protect a rally from outside influences is a thankless task for those expected to recruit the manpower.
Sathit: Protecting protesters
For the Ratchadamnoen protest, the man chosen to undertake the recruitment mission is Sathit Pitutecha, the Democrat Party MP for Rayong.
Under his guidance, a group of Rayong natives, alias the Kraben Thong (stingray flag) volunteered to guard the mass rally right in the heart of Bangkok.
The group, which counts naval officers among its members, has received special security training. Wearing black, the Kraben Thong guards have provided security protection at Democrat-organised Pha Kwam Jing (dissecting truth) forums in the past.
The guards, now dispatched to the Ratchadamnoen rally, mingle with the crowds as they perform security surveillance and continually inspect the rally stage. They also escort the rally leaders to and from the venue at a ratio of eight guards per leader.
They have been trained to gather intelligence from drivers of public transportation to get a sense of the political mood and tone of the day. Their targets also include motorcycle taxi drivers.
A rally source said the Kraben Thong security volunteers make up an integral part of the more than 3,000-strong force of guards deployed at the Ratchadamnoen protest site.
They hail from the provinces and stay at the hostels and lodgings near Democracy Monument.
A joke circulating among the rally leaders is that even if no supporters turn up for the protest, there would be enough guards to fill the space around Democracy Monument.
However, the Kraben Thong are not only rally guards along that stretch of Ratchadamnoen Avenue. A stone's throw from the monument is Phan Fa Bridge, occupied by another group of anti-government protesters.
Guards at the bridge are called the Srivichais who have taken an active role in the People's Alliance for Democracy protests in the past. The Srivichais have combined their forces with vocational students and southern rubber farmers to employ security surveillance around the protest areas.
The rally source said some military officers have also offered to help provide security at the rally sites. The Ratchadamnoen protest leader, Suthep Thaugsuban, selected the officers to stand guard him.
The surveillance cordon has been stepped up following rumours of snipers lurking around the protest area who are targeting the protest leaders. The heightened security concerns prompted Metropolitan Police Bureau commissioner Kamronwit Thoopkrachang to seek permission from the protest leaders to allow police officers to gain access to the rally.
The protest leaders agreed to the request on the condition that the police officers turn up in uniform. The rally guards will also ''accompany'' the police officers during their presence at the protest.
In the service of the government
The whistle is the latest symbol of government resistance, but blowing them at a political enemy could result in dire legal consequences, warns Department of Special Investigation (DSI) boss Tarit Pengdith.
But sceptics are taking Mr Tarit's claim _ that he was recently the victim of a ''whistle attack'' in the middle of a shopping mall in Bangkok _ with a grain of salt.
A source in the DSI said some officials are unconvinced the department chief was assailed by a ''blowing disturbance''.
Tarit: Thrived under Yingluck
His detractors charge Mr Tarit is hell bent on discrediting anti-government demonstrators who have resorted to whistle blowing as an exercise in what they call an integral part of the civil disobedience campaign.
Mr Tarit insists that blowing whistles at people subjects them to shame and disrepute, an act punishable by law, even though it is a minor offence.
The offenders are liable for a fine of up to 1,000 baht.
Earlier, the DSI had warned anyone providing a financial lifeline to the anti-government protests could be investigated. The department did not elaborate.
If the allegations of funding the protests holds true and are to be investigated, the agency that would be charged with this task would have to be the Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo). However, Amlo has been notable by its silence.
The DSI source said the office's senior administrators are being cautious about how far _ if at all _ the law will allow them to probe the allegations if they decide to pursue the case. A law is already in existence that governs the authorities' examination of assets suspected to be ill-gotten.
The source noted quite a few officials at the Justice Ministry, to which the DSI is attached, have come out in support of the anti-government demonstrations. Some have even been seen among the pickets at the protests, holding up banners.
The source said senior officials at the ministry and the DSI are on the same page about a lot of things, including policy direction.
Critics note the officials have aligned themselves too closely with those in power, which compromises their neutrality and institutional prestige.
As for Mr Tarit, he has been compared to a cat with nine lives. With a position as a high-level security supervisor in the previous Abhisit Vejjajiva administration, it was speculated he would not only lose his seat but face sidelining or even a legal backlash when the government changed hands.
The opposite proved true.
He has not only kept his seat in government service, but has thrived in it, much to the dismay of the Democrat Party.
Defiance in face of party pressure
The Constitution Court's ruling on Wednesday to kill the charter amendment draft on the make-up of the Senate could prevent political violence from recurring.
Before the court handed down its ruling, 312 government MPs and senators seeking the draft amendment had announced they would not accept the ruling if it turned out not to be in their favour.
Though the court ruled the draft amendment was unconstitutional, it decided against dissolving the six coalition parties and against stripping the MPs involved in the amendment process of their political status.
Twekiat: Suitability questioned
Thus, there was no reason for the lawmakers to feel disappointed with the ruling and for the recent mass red-shirt rally in Bangkok to continue to pile pressure on the court, according to observers.
The court ruling could make the draft amendment, which was submitted to the palace for royal amendment, invalid, some legal experts noted.
The ruling is a slap in the face for the Pheu Thai Party, which is adamant about amending several sections of the charter.
Pheu Thai has been upset since its draft to amend Section 291 of the charter could not go proceed for a third reading vote in parliament after the Constitution Court ruled on July 18 last year that any change to the section required a public referendum.
The court reasoned the current charter was the first constitution endorsed by a public referendum, so any attempt to abolish or rewrite it should be approved in a similar fashion.
Its latest defeat over amending the charter has prompted Pheu Thai MPs to keep their eye on the nine Constitution Court judges. They have vowed not to accept the ruling that the amendment was unconstitutional, particularly the contentious issues that went against Section 68 prohibiting attempts to overthrow the monarchy and unconstitutional efforts to seize power.
On Wednesday, the court voted 5-4 that the amendment violated Section 68. One of the majority votes was that of judge Twekiat Menakanist, who was appointed to the court after swearing an oath of allegiance the King on Nov 6.
Pheu Thai has questioned the suitability of Judge Twekiat, a former Thammasat University law professor, in voting on the amendment as he had just been appointed to the court.
Supporters insist Judge Twekiat was fit to adjudicate the case as he had already taken an oath before the King. On top of this, he played a key role in questioning parliamentary officials involved in altering the draft that was found by the court to have gone against legal procedures.
Sources said Judge Twekiat's active performance of his duty and questioning of officials had lent weight to the ruling.