For Abhisit the going gets much tougher than expected

Others viewed the noisy, riotous scene as ugly and crazy, and not the kind of democracy this country should pursue or uphold. It was vulgar and callous, and not for the first time.

Abhisit must have left some impression on his foes that he cannot be underestimated in terms of determination, and that he cannot be frightened easily. His outward appearance belies some steel inside and the willingness to take the bull by the horns.

Despite the hostility and the threat of violence, Abhisit insisted on facing the protestors with smiles and kind words. He even praised his adversaries for showing restraint during their protest in front of Government House while the Asean Summit took place nearly 200 kilometres away.

He did not mention how he felt when the red-shirted hecklers heaped abuse upon him. There was even some sense of forgiveness for their excesses.

Well, such despicable acts do reflect upon the people who get joy from causing embarrassment to the politicians they dislike. Protests and other displays of dissent are necessarily devoid of civility. Indeed, of late, throwing shoes at politicians and national leaders has become a fad. Former US president George W Bush became the first high-profile target.

Abhisit had ordered all Cabinet members to go upcountry and visit constituents to learn more about their concerns during this economic crisis. The recession is causing hardship to millions and there is no plausible solution in sight.

He led the way and took the first hit. Others were more fortunate, as the areas they went to were not considered high risk. Abhisit could have chosen a TV studio to communicate with the people. But how else can he measure the strength of the people who hate him? By venturing out, he saw with his own eyes that the hecklers number just hundreds, not thousands, or more.

We witnessed similar incidents faced by Cabinet members during the Samak and Somchai administrations. At that time, the hecklers wore yellow shirts. The difference was that they did not throw hard objects at their targets. They got no chance because the targets ran away, diverted their route, or failed to show up.

Let's suppose that abusive words and the hurling of bottles is the normal reception for Abhisit Cabinet members upcountry and that soon such scenes would be familiar. It would be strange if there was no such unruly behaviour. But with the low numbers evident over the weekend, there must now be a problem of funding the opposition rallies.

Abhisit now realises he has to face pressure from red-shirted hecklers who get support from politicians in the opposition camp. Funding still comes from elements loyal to the fugitive Thaksin Shinawatra, who finds that the world is getting smaller now that the legal hunt for him becomes active.

Thaksin cannot let his friends and foes know his everyday whereabouts now, much different from the days when he summoned meetings in Hong Kong to plot anti-government strategies and discuss destabilising activities to ensure the Abhisit Cabinet fails in rescuing the economy.

Abhisit has displayed the nerve to face adversity, but the economic crisis will be his biggest challenge so far. And this is just the beginning, with all figures showing that the country is in a bad shape and the worst is yet to come. With more foreign borrowing to sustain the ongoing rescue attempt, he will face more bad press from Thaksin's cronies. Thaksin will harass the government by phone-in, like the latest one for his admirers during a rally in Khon Kaen on Sunday.

As weeks pass, the effects of the phone-ins may no longer be so powerful, but they are enough for Thaksin to get himself in the news, so that his followers can have some cause to create a nuisance in the House and at periodic rallies.

To dilute this threat, Abhisit must avoid bad decisions and wrong turns. The Thaksin factor should not outweigh what must be done for public good.

The red-shirt rallies, with support from the opposition, must have hit their peak. What Thaksin can do right now is hide from the forces of justice, while speaking on the phone to his supporters, obsessed by the delusion that his comeback is still possible.

When Thaksin was around, he fled from hecklers. Now on the run, what harm can he cause with his trembling voice? His distractionS will only hurt the chance of restoring the national economy.