Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra appears to be ignoring the growing demands for his resignation, believing he can escape from the troubles currently shaking his premiership by sabotaging his opponents.

But when former prime minister Suchinda Kraprayoon and former mentor Chamlong Srimuang recently gave words of advice on how he can extricate himself from the current political turmoil, Thaksin should have listened carefully before turning his back on them.

Suchinda believes Thaksin should dissolve the House and call a snap election. Chamlong on the other hand says the premier has lost his political legitimacy and should resign rather than face the wrath of demonstrators at Sunday's mass rally.

The two retired politicians experienced tense political situations during their heydays in early 1990s. And the May 1992 people's uprising to oust Suchinda could prove to be a good lesson for Thaksin, who should be aware of the present situation and that history tends to repeat itself.

The scene where His Majesty the King told Suchinda and Chamlong - both of whom were sitting and listening calmly - to stop their dispute, is still remembered.

Chamlong led a peaceful protest at Sanam Luang for more than a month to pressure Suchinda to step down. But Suchinda insisted that he would not quit. When Chamlong turned his campaign into a street protest on Rajdamnoen Road, peace turned into tension.

Although the street rally eventually ousted Suchinda's military-backed regime, the triumph came at the cost of a score of protesters, who were killed after some military guards opened fire on the demonstrators.

Suchinda resigned shortly after the meeting with His Majesty.

The growing political tension these days has raised concern among many people, from royal advisers to military officers and civil groups.

Although nobody wants to see society disunited, it is undeniable that the country is now torn into two camps - Thaksin supporters and Thaksin antagonists.

The former have struggled to keep the premier in office despite his failure to clear up the suspicions surrounding his family's recent business dealings.

The latter have only a single goal in mind - to unseat Thaksin and get rid of all traces of his legacy.

The friction between the camps looks set to reach fever peak on Sunday.

The anti-Thaksin alliance plans to stage a mass demonstration at Sanam Luang and has vowed to carry on until Thaksin resigns from office.

This has led to worries that the event could degenerate into violence if some of Thaksin's supporters come to interrupt it.

With more than 100,000 people expected to fill up the Sanam Luang ground, it is possible that the crowd will spill out into nearby Rajdamnoen Road.

Chamlong, who decided to break ties with the premier, will join the alliance's rally on Sunday, raising fears that the old days of the 1992 bloody street protests will return to haunt the whole nation if the situation escalates beyond control.

Chamlong and Suchinda know full well that the current crisis is developing in a similar pattern. But they surely don't want a similar end.

It is up to Thaksin whether he will learn from the two veterans. If any "uncontrolled incidents" happen, they will be able to say, "I warned you."

Your comments are welcome. Contact the Political Desk at poldesk@nationgroup.com.

Weerayut Chokchaimadon

The Nation