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His latest action, which made his rivals, especially the street protesters, see red was when he instructed provincial governors to pull the plug on ASTV from local cable televisions.

Like Samak, who incensed many by vowing to crack down on the protesters last month, Chalerm's move has drawn the ire of many people who might not have supported the protests but are only sideline spectators.

Like it or not, Sondhi Limthongkul's ASTV keeps many people informed about the on-going protests, rather than them having to visit Rajdamnoen Avenue.

Chalerm's orders also gave the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) a new issue: they can now accuse his government of violating media freedom of expression. They will lodge a petition with the Administrative Court for abuse of power.

Many people might dislike ASTV because of its aggressiveness, subjective and unbalanced reporting. To some extent, the television programme serves merely as a propaganda machine for the protesters rather than playing the role of balanced mass media, but the authorities are unable to ban it.

Like many other satellite televisions, ASTV operates with an unclear legal status as there is no Thai law governing this kind of media. That's the reason why Chalerm cannot find any legal instruments to shut it down.

As he said yesterday, the minister believes that ASTV's closure would cool the protesters down as they would be deprived of a political stimulant. He was wrong. His decision angered many people as the cable TV station, like other media, generates business for local entrepreneurs in upcountry provinces.

Chalerm may care about his political agenda but he should know that ASTV is a business for many. Shutting down the station is equal to killing a cash cow for many people.

ASTV is not able to cover a wide area in the capital and outskirts but it does broadcast the protests nation-wide through a large network of local cable stations.

Local cable operators in many provinces do not produce their own content but hook up with ASTV and other content providers, including Nation Channel, to offer their subscribers a package.

"We don't need to share the political ideas of the PAD and ASTV but as long as our subscribers ask for it, there's no reason why we shouldn't supply it," said an executive of RTV, a cable television in the northeastern Ubon Ratchathani province.

There are two rival cable operators in the province. The other followed the authority's instructions to shut down ASTV. As a result, more than 300 accounts moved to RTV, said the executive who declined to be named.

"As long as the minister has no solid legal ground to pull the plug, why should we follow the instruction? What's more, he is unable to compensate for our lost business either," he said.

Local cable television stations upcountry may not be big business but when the nationwide operations are taken into account, they are not small-scale, either. Minister Chalerm forced the provincial cable operators to group together and as a group, they are really quite powerful, said the RTV executive.

Politically, they don't side with the PAD but when the minister's move creates a threat to their businesses, many of them appear to stand in opposition to the government. If the interior minister thinks through his move carefully, he might realise that he has created unnecessary enemies.

Whether it is good or bad, the viewers can judge ASTV because they hold the remote control in their hands. If there are plenty of rude words and nonsensical accusations on air, like Chalerm suggests, people will simply switch off their TV.

But then this would have political implications for the PAD, rather than the government.