The "talk of the town" issue last week which was about the audio clip posted on YouTube featuring a private talk between two men, purported to be former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and Deputy Defence Minister Yuthasak Sasiprapa, seems to have been put to rest _ much to the chagrin of quite a few of us who had expected the military to do something in quick reaction to the clip.
Supreme Commander Gen Tanasak Patimapragorn, who was mentioned in the clip, told the media last Friday that he couldn't care less about the clip and was not angry with the person featured in the clip who mentioned his name.
"I am like an old tree, almost 60 years old and too old to change. Our principle is that we stick with reason. All the commanders of the armed forces and the police stick with reason. There are about 800,000 men under our command.
"If everyone of them strays to the left or to the right, how can they walk straight? Therefore, have confidence in the military that they will do as assigned in accordance with the law and the rules," Gen Thanasak was quoted as saying.
Asked about the content of the audio clip in which his name was mentioned, the supreme commander said he would not be angry or upset.
The man in the clip who is believed to be Gen Yuthasak told the other man who is believed to be Thaksin that the latter should make use of the supreme commander regarding investment in the Dawei project in Myanmar because the general was close to his Myanmar counterpart, Gen Min Aung Hliang, who is influential.
The man who is believed to be Gen Yuthasak also told the other man, thought to be Thaksin, that both Gen Thanasak and army commander-in-chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha had not raised any objection to his plan to bring the exiled prime minister home with the help of an amnesty decree and about the prospect that the two generals would be assured of new positions after their retirement next year.
Asked about the plot to bring Thaksin back to Thailand, Gen Thanasak said: "The military is not the Justice Ministry or the police. We have our duties which are prescribed in the Defence Ministry Act." As of last weekend, Gen Yuthasak was sticking to his persistent denial that the voice in the clip was not his, although Panthongtae, Thaksin's only son, admitted on Facebook that the voice of the other man was his father, but suspected some parts of the conversation were doctored.
But the exiled ex-premier remains silent.
The latest message from him is a picture of some southern dishes such as kaeng luang, kaeng kamin and kaeng tai pla curries that he posted in his Instagram account.
Anti-Thaksin groups might feel disappointed with the mild reaction from Gen Thanasak despite the content in the clip which was deemed contemptuous to the top brass. They might have expected a stronger reaction.
Personally, I feel the supreme commander has reacted properly and reasonably although he was implicated in a manner which was damaging to his status and reputation _ the suggestion that he agreed with the plot to bring Thaksin home and was already "bought" with the promise of a post-retirement career.
Another coup by the military to thwart the "bring Thaksin home" plot will be a disaster for the coup-makers in particular and the country in general. Instead, it will be a God-sent boon for the man in Dubai and his Pheu Thai Party which will see their popularity jump.
The exposure of the private conversation between the two men said to be at a restaurant in Hong Kong is already bad enough, for the plot may be aborted for now and in the foreseeable future. Any attempt by the government to push an amnesty decree with a rubber stamp from the Defence Council and the National Security Council will be courting trouble with anti-government forces.
But as far as Gen Yuthasak is concerned, the big question is what is his use to the government and Thaksin if he cannot pull off the mission to bring the boss home?
Normally, the defence minister does not have much work to do and does not need a deputy. This explains why several defence ministers in the past did not have a deputy. Just take a look at former defence minister Sukumpol Suwannatat and what his achievements worthy of remembering were during the past two years. The most noticeable achievement _ if it qualifies as an achievement _ is the stripping of former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's army rank for draft dodging.
Veera Prateepchaikul is a former editor, Bangkok Post.