There is one man Veera Somkwamkid has forgotten to thank as he relaxes in the comfortable surroundings of his home. No, it is not Hun Sen.
The Thai Patriots Network leader has thanked junta leader Prayuth Chan-ocha and permanent secretary for foreign affairs Sihasak Phuangketkeow after the two secured his release from Prey Sar Prison in Phnom Penh. And so he should.
But his return home last week launched a debate over 14 Cambodians detained in Thailand and whether their release was a one-for-14 prisoner swap deal.
Officials from the National Council for Peace and Order, the Foreign Ministry and the Justice Ministry denied it. And they will do it again and again if pressed to answer the question.
To admit that Veera's release was in exchange for the freedom of 14 Cambodian workers detained over forged documents would be a big blow for Thailand. The junta would face the question of whether one Thai is worth 14 Cambodian nationals. So, the best thing is to stick with the denial and let time erase another question of exchanges being used for other Thai prisoners.
After all, the junta's mission to Phnom Penh was accomplished. Mr Sihasak came back with Mr Veera who had spent more than three years in jail on serious charges including espionage. They came back happy that the Cambodian prime minister had switched his backing away from the red shirts and his friend, Thaksin Shinawatra. But that’s only partly correct.
Hun Sen knows Thai politics only too well. The Cambodian strongman calculates this latest military coup is unlike the previous one in 2006. The military is not joking here.
He knows he has to live with a Thailand led by Gen Prayuth for at least another year in the form of an interim administration directly or indirectly controlled by the army chief. That is forcing him to be friendly towards the junta-led administration for the mutual benefit of the two countries. For Hun Sen, friends are friends — but politics is politics. His friendship with Thaksin will not change, even if his political position can.
The 14 Cambodian released are not his friends; he doesn't know them. But they seemed to be special for the Cambodian premier — so their fate was mentioned twice when Mr Sihasak met Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong last week, followed by a reminder when he called on Hun Sen on Wednesday.
Mr Veera was the perfect bargaining chip for Hun Sen when he needed one most. It was the perfect time for the Cambodian leader to bluff his political rivals.
The Veera factor came in to play when the NCPO campaign to end illegal migrant workers led to panic among Cambodians working in Thailand, including those registered with Thai agencies. A tidal wave of them packed their belongings and rushed headlong to the Thai-Cambodian border by whatever means they could find — train, van, pickup truck and bus. At least 200,000 Cambodians fled Thailand amid rumours they would be targeted in a crackdown by soldiers and authorities.
The main gateway for the flow of Cambodians fleeing home was the checkpoint in Aranyaprathet district in Sa Kaeo province. Opposite the Thai district is Poipet. Right there the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) greeted their return at the border gate. CNRP deputy leader Kem Sokha was there to give them support and a morale boost. The CNRP was a step ahead of Hun Sen’s Cambodian Peoples’ Party (CPP) this time.
Workers are a support base for the CNRP which has been locked in a furious political quarrel with the CPP since the recent general election which put the Sam Rainsy-led party in a position to be a real threat to Hun Sen. Sending a top party official to the checkpoint bolstered the popularity of Sam Rainsy and his party. That forced Hun Sen to find a way to counterattack his political enemy and swing the momentum back in his favour. He found that in Mr Veera and the detained Cambodians.
And it all happened because Kem Sokha of the CNRP was there to welcome the fleeing workers back on home soil.
Saritdet Marukatat is digital media news editor, Bangkok Post.