Only this time it was sweeter for the man. He knew exactly what was going to happen, and even mentioned it during one of the calls. "I can't go back home right now, because whatever move I make, it startles those people," he said when asked if he could possibly "pass by" to soothe Thais who miss him. "They get scared all the time, although I make my move as an ordinary citizen. I just want to tell them that they don't need to be paranoid. The best way to win people's trust is to come up with good work. The more they are paranoid, the more they will lose."

Whatever his motive was for saying it, Thaksin was for once spot on. And it's easy to tell how he must have been elevated in many people's eyes after his statements were met by a predictable raid on a radio station. Thaksin set up a very cheap trap, predicted that the interim leadership would walk straight into it - and they did.

The Public Relations Department's director for radio and television, Borworn Thecha-in, and its lawyers filed a complaint with Nonthaburi police accusing the director of the community radio station of broadcasting without permission. Afterwards, Borworn visited the station, located on the third floor of a four-storey commercial building in Nonthaburi's Muang district. The station's director was producing a programme when Borworn inspected the building and soon the station went off the air. The "intimidation" met no resistance. In fact, if the station's staff had really been working for Thaksin as authorities virtually alleged, the authorities' visit must have been greeted with a tacit welcome.

What should have been a two-day story has now got worldwide attention, and will likely dominate headlines and editorials for much longer, not to mention that it will feature in reports by embassies and international media freedom groups. Despite a strong media reaction to Thursday's raid, another radio station involved in the latest Thaksin publicity stunt was visited by authorities yesterday, with similar consequences. Just as stories about the latest corruption investigations were occupying the front page, three phone-ins by Thaksin changed the focus completely.

Now, Thaksin's call for a "swift return" to democracy during the interviews will go nicely with stories of the "clamp-down", and the history of how many community radio stations suffered under him would not be remembered much. During his reign, numerous "illegal" radio stations were sent packing or reeling, but that doesn't matter now. He has managed to exploit the interim leadership's over-sensitivity and gullibility and claim to the world that Thailand now has a poor standard of freedom of speech.

Why the interim leadership keeps losing the mind game is puzzling. Just when it seemed he was being pushed toward the ropes - with key corruption cases beginning to bear some legal evidence - those who ousted him and the interim government have allowed him to play the victimised champion of democracy. At a time when Thaksin was supposed to answer some serious questions, he has managed to turn the table on his opponents and have the world ask them questions instead.

Like it or not, he was right on many things in his interviews. His advice - stop being paranoid, be sincere, do good and the rest will take care of itself - sounded almost noble. It's in fact a real road map to bring Thailand out of this crisis. The thing is, he gave that advice because he apparently was hoping that his opponents would do the opposite. But he cannot be blamed for this possible malice; his naive opponents helped make sure that an ousted politician's normal shout across the ocean has both a deafening and echoing effect.