The suicide of "heroic" taxi driver Nuamthong Phaiwan in a lone protest against the September 19 coup may have sent a chill down the spine of the Council for National Security (CNS) members.

His second and successful suicide attempt might be a living testimony that "political undercurrents" are for real. The groundswell against the interim government and its military backers has been gathering force. As time passes it could become a tidal wave.

CNS chairman General Sonthi Boonyaratglin knows well that he can ignore the force of Thai Rak Thai Party supporters, and opponents of his seizure of power, only at his peril.

And, ignoring them he is not.

Soon after these "undercurrents" were detected, he declared his willingness to speak to Thai Rak Thai about them.

Acting party leader Chaturon Chaisang swiftly retorted that he had nothing to say to Sonthi. Sonthi knows, too, that the reappearance of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in the country would be a threat to him and his government. He has told the news media that Thaksin will not be allowed to land in Thailand if he attempted to do so without prior permission.

Could the suicide of taxi driver Nuamthong in a protest against CNS rule have stirred the "sleeping tiger" - a term used by Chat Thai Party leader Banharn Silapa-archa to describe Thaksin?

The day after the taxi driver took his own life, a political group used it as a pretext to gather in protest and demand the lifting of martial law.

As well as dealing with opponents in the form of Thaksin supporters and those abhorrent of the coup, the CNS is also fighting an "internal war". It is battling to win public trust and to prove to critics that it did not depose Thaksin in a blatant power grab.

General Winai Phattiyakul, the CNS secretary-general, dismissed speculation it was forming a political party to maintain a foothold in power. The country will have to wait until after the drafting of a new Constitution to discover if this is true.

But, eschewing politics may be difficult for the CNS because, while in the process of uprooting the Thaksin regime, it has generated enemies on the inside as well as outside.

There are reports of conflict, for instance, within the Assets Examination Committee and between Auditor-General Khunying Jaruvan Maintaka and Deputy Prime Minister MR Pridiyathorn Devakula.

The latest proof of conflict was a foiled attempt to remove Police Commissioner General Kowit Wattana. The CNS was under pressure to remove Kowit after Thaksin's opponents questioned why it had allowed senior police who served Thaksin to take on significant roles.

And, with Kowit at the helm the police have so far failed to nail Thaksin down on allegations of lese majeste - one of the four main reasons cited by the military for his overthrow.

Thaksin's opponents remain suspicious because of widespread rumours that the CNS plans to form a political party with Thaksin or former Thai Rak Thai politicians. Winai dismissed this.

After almost two months since seizing power, the CNS is racing against time to demonstrate its achievements and appease critics. The weaker it appears in this to the public, the stronger Thaksin's camp becomes in its bid to take advantage of the situation.

Although the CNS has beefed up its public-relations efforts, it may not win the public hearts in the long run. This is especially true after Sonthi admitted probe into Thaksin's assets might not get anywhere. Impounding the ousted leader's fortune would not be possible legally.

Pridiyathorn has spoken out in support of this assumption saying the country needs new laws to prevent conflicts of interest and to deal effectively with corruption allegedly rife under the Thaksin government.

With his wealth intact, Thaksin could manage a return to politics more easily. Some analysts do not rule out a comeback.

Phochana Phichitsiri

The Nation