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Abhisit has managed to score impressive marks for himself and his team since his participation in the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where he rubbed shoulders with and made new friends among world leaders. He has returned from Indonesia and joined the Asean Finance Ministers Meeting in Phuket before the big show of his leadership as chairman of the summit meeting. 

The majority of Thais should take pride that the country has a leader who is sophisticated and well versed in world affairs. The PM also has educated Cabinet members with the necessary knowledge and experience for the Asean meeting and other world events. Yet there is a pair of jaundiced eyes watching Abhisit's success with much envy.

That's why Thaksin Shinawatra - on the run, in self-imposed exile - flew to Hong Kong and summoned his lieutenants and cronies for a meeting. Each Thaksin group has a specific mission but the ultimate objective is one: the Abhisit government must not be allowed to continue or succeed in resolving the country's economic crisis.

During a brief encounter with his cronies in Dubai before leaving for Hong Kong, Thaksin made a cynical comparison: "See how the people here have turned the desert into a paradise. At home, some people are turning heaven into hell."

Dubai might be a temporary paradise for him as long as he still has money. That oasis of modern buildings is not suitable for general visitors. It is hellish for low-paid workers from the Indian sub-continent and elsewhere. That's why Dubai prefers to welcome "white" guests, while non-white visitors or tourists are regarded with ill-concealed contempt, including eye-scanning and scolding for those who do not understand the procedure. Workers from the sub-continent have been known to be slapped on the back of the head by irate overzealous civil servants at the airport.

This could explain why Thaksin does not want to live permanently in Dubai. He must try to regain political power here despite the instability of the country - caused by the open and covert movements of his paid cronies and goons.

Recent flights leaving for and returning from Hong Kong included passengers with familiar faces. Those in business class included the top planners and executors. There were MPs, campaigners, journalists and a senior columnist of a mass-circulation daily newspaper who recently failed to win an election.

There was a surprise. Among those lining up to meeting Thaksin was a foreigner, a long-time resident in Thailand active in work with the hilltribes in the North. His role also includes being a small-time lobbyist with connections to people in high places.

The final campaign to cause trouble to the Abhisit government from now on has be decisive for Thaksin, because the young prime minister stands to gain recognition on the international stage, with scheduled meetings with world leaders at the G-20 summit next month.

Thaksin's meeting with his chief lieutenants to plot and scheme was held in the open. Even MPs of the Pheu Thai Party, the remnants of the two parties ordered to disband by the Constitutional Court, bragged openly that they met with their paymaster and accepted assignments for jobs both inside and outside the House of Representatives.

It is odd that the government has not yet instructed the consul general in Hong Kong to bring to the attention of the Chinese authorities the high-level meeting designed to cause trouble in Thailand. Chinese authorities have already put Thaksin on a watch list, as have other countries, thus making the world smaller for the disgraced politician.

With such a well-funded plan of action, what happens from now on could create havoc for the government, such as protest rallies at Government House and the Asean summit meeting venue. These will determine the intensity of the campaign to help Thaksin return home as a free man.

The diversity of the people given assignments in Hong Kong will also determine the success of Thaksin's plans. His hired hands will have to try their best; failing that, they will have to accept obscurity and mediocrity.

Thaksin is aware of the potential of Abhisit and his team, despite his sarcastic comment that the younger man would not be able to resolve the economic crisis. But as results have gradually shown, Abhisit is gaining popularity at home and respect in international circles.

Meanwhile, the red-shirted demonstrators paid by Thaksin cronies are becoming more like pariahs.