Thin veil separates daad, govt

Veteran politician Veera Musigapong created the alliance immediately after the September 2006 coup, with the express plan to stand against any military action against the government.

It has often staged rallies in Sanam Luang.

Its first large gathering, organised in mid-October in the form of a mobile TV talk show called "The Truth Today" at Muang Thong Thani, turned out to be a great success with some 10,000 supporters in red shirts joining in.

This gathering also marked the return of key DAAD leader Jakrapob Penkair, who has kept a low profile after he was forced to step down as PM's Office Minister in May over allegations of lese majeste.

The second DAAD gathering, scheduled for Saturday, is expected to turn into a "Red War" with some 70,000 supporters joining the rally at Rajamangala Stadium.

The supporters are expected to be greeted by a phone call from their beloved leader - ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

However, this gathering is merely an iceberg on the surface, with so much more happening underneath as some players continue manoeuvring the government from behind the scenes.

Here is an example: The appointment of DAAD leader and host of "The Truth Today" show, Natthawut Saikua, as government spokesman points to the alliance being a part of the government.

Natthawut's main duty is to attack government foes and attending meetings at the ruling People Power Party's war room in Shinawatra 3 Building.

Plus DAAD has one more task to complete - turning the state media, such as the Public Relations Department (PRD) and MCOT, into a tool that makes the government look good.

Jakrapob, who was formerly in charge of MCOT, which supervises Channel 9, reportedly issued some special "instructions" to top executives of the organisation.

Now, Natthawut has started giving orders to the PRD, which oversees the NBT channel.

However, these orders are bad for the so-called "neutral" channel, because it is suffering political interference.

Originally, it was Newin Chidchob's group influencing the NBT newsroom, and now there's a new boss.

And what's worse, the NBT has had to listen to each and every boss because they all come with direct links to the "Man in London".

Also, disobeying the bosses is not an option because several top names from the channel may end up hearing about imminent sackings through the media.