The country's top court has yet to order the Thai Rak Thai Party to be dissolved, but all 107 members of its executive committee reportedly foresee that such an order is looming - sooner or later.

And they believe the coup leaders are fully intent on removing Thaksin from Thai politics.

"Since Thaksin quit his job as party leader, Thai Rak Thai has lost its integrity as a political party. However, I believe that, in the end, the Constitution Court will order the dissolution of the party," former TRT deputy leader Pongphol Adireksarn said.

Pongphol was the first person to publicly ask Thaksin to clarify his future political plans, a few days before the coup took place. Later, he resigned from the party's executive as a gesture of protest against Thaksin, who he believes caused the coup. "Had he stated what he intended to do with his political career, there would have been no coup," Pongphol said.

However, Pongphol plans to remain a member of Thai Rak Thai, to prove that he cautioned Thaksin for the PM's sake, and not some political game.

He said all members of the party's executive committee must fight hard to convince the court that any wrong-doing was not a party resolution, and punishment of the 107 executives would be unfair.

He said what Thaksin was currently experiencing was an example of the law of Karma.

"I'm a Buddhist and I believe in the rule of Karma. You will receive [back] the same as you have done," he said.

In Announcement No 27, the Council for National Security (CNS) amended the Political Parties Act to provide punishment of executives of any party dissolved for violating election law. Under these circumstances, party executives can be stripped of their electoral rights for five years.

Some TRT members said the announcement hit the party like a tsunami.

Political observers agreed that the order was aimed at getting rid of Thaksin from the political scene for at least five years.

Some said it referred directly to the case Thai Rak Thai faces in the Constitution Court, in which it is accused of hiring small parties to run in the April 2 election. If it had pleaded guilty, Thai Rak Thai would certainly have been dissolved, they pointed out.

Former cxecutive Udom Krai-watnusorn said he feared that dissolution of the party would make him unable to continue his political career for five years.

If this is the case, Udom said he would ask his father to run for Parliament "for the time being" and he would come back after five years.

"I understand that they want to uproot Thaksin. But it would be too cruel if the entire executive committee was uprooted as well. If they want true reconciliation in the country, such an order should not be made," Udom said, adding that he hoped Announcement No 27 would be amended.

Another former Thai Rak Thai executive committee member, Wutthichai Sanguanwongchai, said what is happening right now was like ethnic cleansing, even though the executive panel was not involved with what happened.

"I have withdrawn myself to back stage, to ponder my next step. I suppose I have to wait until I know if the party will be dissolved," he said. "I cannot predict anything because whatever happens now is beyond imagination."

Another former executive member said the current political situation was as if Thaksin has been executed, and it looked likely that Thai Rak Thai would be dissolved.

Somroutai Sapsomboon

 The Nation