Two days before the People's Democratic Reform Committee's battle royale against the Thaksin regime today, a message was posted on the Thaksin Fan Facebook page, supposedly by the exiled former prime minister himself.
Since there was no denial about the authenticity of the message from Thaksin's personal lawyer, Noppadon Pattama, or the ex-premier himself, it could be rightly assumed that the message was real.
The message was intended to counter accusations that Thaksin was not loyal to His Majesty the King and that he aspired to become the president of Thailand.
In the message, Thaksin said he had monitored the protests led by Suthep Thaugsuban and the Democrat Party. "Thai politics is very cruel and very cold-blooded. I have been accused all along, especially about my alleged disloyalty," he said, adding: "I would like to confirm that I have never even thought of making malicious remarks against any member of the royal family because I myself was kindly treated all along by the royal family."
His marriage to Khunying Potjaman Na Pombejra, he said, was royally-sponsored. HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn graciously presided over the launch of the first Thaicom satellite. His Majesty the King, he said, also graciously presided over the opening of Thaicom's ground station. He said he didn't mind if people hated him, but would like to ask them not to be used as a tool by Mr Suthep and his allies.
"I have been accused all along, to the extent that I have to live in exile despite the fact that I want to serve the country, the people and the royal family," he said.
"Don't be cruel to me, because I am a Thai national who is patriotic and loves the people and the royal family no less than any of you."
But I beg to differ with Thaksin regarding his claim of cruel treatment against him by the people and his definition of loyalty. If he feels strongly about being treated cruelly, he should ask the families of the innocents among the 2,500 people who perished in extra-judicial killings during his administration's drug suppression campaign. Or he should ask the families of the 86 Malay Muslims who were shot dead or died of suffocation in the Tak Bai incident about how they are feeling now, nine years afterwards. There has never been a word of apology or gesture of remorse from the exiled former prime minister for those two tragedies.
As for the issue of loyalty to the monarchy, the fact that one might have been granted a title, or have his marriage royally sponsored, is not enough. Similarly, people who join in the celebrations of the King's birthday ceremony should not claim they are loyal just because of the one-day show.
They must heed his advice _ if not all his advice _ to qualify as being loyal.
How can a son or daughter claim he/she loves his father if he/she says happy birthday and showers him with presents and postcards on his birthday while the rest of the year he or she never takes good care of him, listens to him or heeds his words at all?
If Thaksin really wants the people to believe in his words that he loves and is loyal to the King and genuinely wants to serve the people, he should prove it with actions and not just mere words.
To begin with, he must stop interfering with the government and parliament, particularly in light of the current political crisis in which he is believed to be the puppeteer pulling the strings behind all the decisions made by the government and the police.
Personally, I have no envy for Thaksin for the fact that he was kindly treated by the royal family. Nor do I reject his desire to serve the country and the monarchy. What I doubt is that can he distinguish public interest from personal interest, good from bad, moral from immoral.
Probably because of the sycophants and incompetents around him, Thaksin appears to be misinformed about the protesters against the government and the Thaksin regime. They are not being misled or being used as a tool by Mr Suthep or the Democrats to serve their perceived hidden agenda. Many of them are simply following their conscience and are doing, with a full conscience, what they think is right.
The protesters represent a cross-section of society and instantly responded to the 9/9.39 message (the auspicious date and starting time of today's "final rally") which has gone viral on social media, without asking questions and without being told what to do by Mr Suthep. Not even barriers, tear gas or an emergency decree will be able to stop this spontaneous outpouring of human spirit to say "no" to the Thaksin regime.
If Thaksin really loves the people, the country and the monarchy as he claims, he should take a step back. It is he who must change.
Veera Prateepchaikul is a former editor, Bangkok Post.