In the interview, which police said Thawatchai gave freely, the suspect said he had no intention of implicating any co-conspirators or masterminds in the alleged attempt on Thaksin's life. The suspect also criticised both the government's supporters and detractors for the "vicious power struggle" that had led to his inadvertent involvement in the foiled assassination plot. Thawatchai insisted that he was not aware that the car's trunk had been packed with explosives until police told him following his arrest him on Thursday.

It is not clear what police investigators expected to achieve when they publicly released the copy of the supposed confession. If their intention was to dispel the doubt surrounding the case, it is obvious that they failed to make any headway with the sceptical public, which continues to cling to its widely held suspicion that the whole thing was fabricated. The political tension that has gripped this country for the past several months has only intensified since Thaksin claimed that he had "escaped" an attempt on his life. As soon as it was discovered that the suspect was an officer attached to the Internal Security Operation Command, the command's deputy director, General Pallop Pinmanee, was summarily fired.

Thaksin, referring to preliminary findings by police, said at least four other people, including military officers, were considered prime suspects in the plot. No charges have been levelled against Pallop, who publicly rejected the assassination plot as a "political ploy". No additional arrests have been made by police so far.

To date, police investigators have dispelled few of the doubts about motives, discrepancies in the list of bomb components recovered and other questionable circumstances surrounding the case. Above all, the lack of credibility on the part of the national police force, which has long been manipulated by politicians, does not inspire much public confidence in its ability to investigate the case in a straightforward manner. Thaksin and police investigators owe it to the public to prove beyond any reasonable doubt that the alleged plot to assassinate Thaksin actually was real. There is no way the public will settle for the flimsy case being built by police investigators on the basis of Lt Thawatchai's "voluntary" admission of guilt. This is not sufficient proof to support Thaksin's conspiracy theory.

Until all of the perpetrators and masterminds of the alleged assassination plot are accounted for and successfully prosecuted, Thaksin and the national police force will be put to the ultimate test in the court of public opinion. It may seem unfair, but their actions will inevitably be judged on their far-from-impressive track record of credibility, honesty and public accountability.

Among the worst suspicions harboured toward the embattled Thaksin is that the alleged assassination plot could have been "staged" to drum up sympathy while at the same time diverting attention away from the potentially explosive scandal involving allegations that a Commerce Ministry committee is withholding its findings on Kularb Kaew, a nominee of Singapore's Temasek in the controversial sale of the Shinawatra family's controlling stake in Shin Corp Plc. If Kularb Kaew is found to be in breach of regulations governing the use of nominees, the controversial deal, from which Thaksin and his family received Bt73 billion in tax-free proceeds, will become null and void.

If it turns out that the alleged plot is fake, someone could be charged with treason. As things stand, the stakes are high for both Thaksin and anyone who cares about democracy in this country, especially now that any chance for reconciliation or the forging of a political compromise may have passed.