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It emerged on Tuesday evening that Newin Chidchob, who controls more than 100 People Power MPs from the lower Northeast, and Thirapol Noprampha, secretary to former prime minister Samak Sundaravej, had a meeting. They got a message from the Man in London that the People Power Party must continue to support Samak by voting him back as prime minister.

If this report were confirmed, then the Man in London would like to witness a showdown in Thailand that would further fuel the crisis savaging the country. But Yongyuth Tiyaphairat, the former House speaker, was also holding a meeting yesterday. He was sending out a signal that Samak should not make a comeback. Both Newin and Yongyuth are close to the Man in London.

Already, local businessmen and investors, in Bangkok and upcountry, have made a plea for Samak not to return to power because it would worsen the political situation.

There is now a big void in Thai politics after the Constitution Court sacked Samak from the high office on grounds that he violated the charter with his TV cooking shows, taking the Cabinet down with him and leaving his ministers with only caretaker status.

Another report indicated that Newin called Snoh Thienthong, leader of the Pracharaj Party, yesterday morning to ask for his support for Samak's resurrection. The People Power Party is trying to move quickly to have Parliament vote on the premiership tomorrow. But Snoh said he would not vote for Samak again because it would further exacerbate the political situation.

Chamlong Srimuang, one of the leaders of the People's Alliance for Democracy, said it would be an insult to the Thai people if the People Power Party were to nominate Samak for government leader. Samak is already a dead body. The Appeals Court will rule on a defamation case against him on September 25.

Chamlong asked what would happen to the country if it was to have Samak as top gun again and he was sacked by the courts again on September 25.

Samak's chances of making a comeback through a new round of voting in Parliament are almost nil now.

But Samak has been pushed to make a comeback, probably as a snub to the Constitution Court. Chaiya Sasomsap has done that before by leaving the health portfolio under a Constitution Court ruling only to reappear shortly after taking the commerce portfolio.

This rebuff of the Constitution Court undermines the rule of law in Thailand. Law professors at Thammasat University have taken notice of this move. They have signed a joint declaration urging Parliament not to vote Samak back into power - at least during the current term of Parliament - because doing so would undermine the credibility of the Thai judicial system.