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On February 2, Thaksin phoned in to a convention of his Pheu Thai Party supporters at Khao Yai, vowing that he would fight for justice until his death. Thaksin also made it clear that he would return to serve as prime minister again. The next day Abhisit told TV reporters that Japan had revoked Thaksin's visa.

With Thaksin about to address the Foreign Correspondents' Club in Hong Kong next Monday, Abhisit has again thrown a bomb back at Thaksin. He warns Thaksin not to make any allegations or negative statements against Thailand. Abhisit also hints that Thailand might request that China extradite the fugitive to Thailand to face his two-year jail term.

Thaksin was sentenced in absentia in October to two years for abuse of power concerning the 2003 purchase of a plot of land. He had already fled into exile by the time the court's verdict was read.

"Existing international agreements will be examined to determine the possibility of bringing back Thaksin. Police and the Office of the Attorney General are jointly in charge of the matter. If it is possible, then we have to take action," Abhisit said yesterday.

Everything is going against Thaksin. His money is disappearing fast.

Recently, he flew to New Zealand to meet Banaphot Damapong, the stepbrother of his ex-wife Pojaman Damapong. Thaksin's personal wealth is now down to around US$200 million, having lost badly in his investments amid the meltdown of the global financial markets. A chunk of his wealth is also frozen by the UK authorities.

Thaksin told Banaphot to give him $500 million. Banaphot called Pojaman up. She relayed the message back that since she and Thaksin had already separated, Thaksin should not ask for any more money from her.

Pojaman is now keeping her steely heart steady. The divorce is real. She has cut her ties to her former husband and no longer gets involved in politics. She hopes to win a tax evasion case against her and to continue to live a quiet life.

Thaksin flew back to Hong Kong empty-handed. Without the money, he will find it impossible to finance his political comeback. His last-ditch strategy to make a comeback is falling apart. His red-shirt supporters, who are now camped outside the Government House, are not genuine fighters. They are losing momentum in their rallies. Their numbers are now down to only several thousand.

Their leaders are now pondering a move to demand the resignation of the Abhisit government but they have found it difficult to come up with a convincing reason. If money from Thaksin is not forthcoming, the red-shirt rallies will come to an end.

Thaksin's move to demand a national interim government has also failed to make any impact. It has not struck a chord with society at large.

A plan to launch a no-confidence censure motion against the Abhisit government is also still on a drawing board. The Pheu Thai members will try to dig up dirt against Abhisit and some of his Cabinet members rather than going for hard political and economic issues.

It all boils down to the coalition partners, who must be kept in line. If they are lured away by money politics, the Abhisit government will collapse. And this possibility is not unlikely.

The military is still lurking in the wings. It won't allow Pheu Thai to return to power. It has also shut the door on the idea of a Thaksin comeback. The military still has the guns.

Abhisit will have to carry his government forward as unity becomes fragile. The economic situation is not in his favour. The new few months will prove dangerous.

But Abhisit should be able to hang on, as Thaksin is pinned down further to the point that he may never set foot in Thailand again.