Chavalit : the Master of intrigue

 It merely took two strokes for General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh to win the heart of former PM Thaksin Shinawatra as well as to destroy him. His first move was to travel to Phnom Penh and tell Prime Minister Hun Sen to take Thaksin on as an adviser, and his second move was to express support for Pattani becoming an independent state.

And Chavalit is initiating all his moves from his seat as adviser to the opposition Pheu Thai Party.

He clearly isn't worried about the heavy attacks he is undergoing for propping up Thaksin's ghost and getting him a job that was endorsed by the Cambodian king. Nor is he worried about the frowns he is getting for having suggested the inconceivable idea of Pattani becoming an independent state.

Still, at least Thaksin appreciates the fact that Chavalit has put his own head on the block for opening the country's door to an enemy. As for Thaksin, getting the post in Cambodia is great - it gives him a perfect platform to cause further political agitation in Thailand. Operations from Dubai were obviously not as effective due to the geographical distance and Thaksin will find it much easier to reclaim his power if he is based in the neighbouring country.

As for Hun Sen, he wants to play along and drive the wedge of division even deeper in Thai society. After all, he wants to do what no other Cambodian leader has done so far - stand up against big brother Thailand. Hun Sen has already outsmarted Thais by getting the Preah Vihear Temple inscribed as a Unesco World Heritage Site. Plus, he refuses to budge an inch in the border conflict and his troops are ready for combat.

However, if one were to stand back and study the situation, one would realise that Chavalit has done perhaps the best and the worst thing. For instance, Thaksin's credibility seems to have dropped to the lowest, while Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is gaining popularity. In the meantime, the Pheu Thai Party and the red shirts are in disarray because they know that the longer the conflict with Cambodia drags out the more votes the party will lose.

This is because nothing brings Thais together more than a conflict with a neighbour, particularly Cambodia, a former vassal of Thailand.

Thais will certainly be united in expressing their dissent against Cambodia in general and against Thaksin in particular.

Abhisit made the right move by recalling our ambassador from Phnom Penh, and as expected, Cambodia responded by recalling its own envoy to Bangkok and some staff. The Foreign Ministry then followed up by scrapping a maritime memorandum of understanding and subjecting several other pacts to close review. As the two country's relations sink even further, the government is re-examining all the past policy practices. Still, the situation doesn't look bad enough for an all-out battle.

It did not take Chavalit too long to create this political mess. Though people have laughed at him from time to time, his talents in political intrigue should never be underestimated.

As we all know, Chavalit is still close to General Prem Tinsulanonda, president of the Privy Council. So, could it be possible that Chavalit has served as a Trojan Horse or is he playing the part of the clever Brahmin Vassakara who served King Ajatashatru in ancient India?

A contemporary of Buddha, King Ajatashatru had the insatiable desire of conquering other kingdoms, especially that of the unbeatable warrior race, the Vajians. Since he was not very sure about the strength of the Vajians, he sent his chief minister Vassakara to seek advice from the Buddha. After all, Ajatashatru wanted to use the Buddha's ability to predict the future to gain victory.

When Buddha realised the real reason behind Vassakara's visit, he turned to his chief disciple Ananda and asked him if the Vajians were powerful and had a commendably noble democratic confederacy. Ananda replied in the affirmative. The Buddha then inquired if the Vajians strictly followed the rules of dharma so they could continue flourishing. Ananda once again said "yes".

Then Buddha declared: "As long as they follow what I taught them earlier in Vasali, they will not be defeated."

After hearing this, the shrewd minister realised that the Vajians could never be defeated on the battlefield, so instead plotted to take them down through disunity.

So he went back to the court and told King Ajatashatru to have him publicly whipped and exiled for resisting royal orders and betraying the kingdom. Vassakara explained that this would help him enter the Vajian kingdom to work as a spy and sow the seeds of disunity.

Sure enough, three years later the Vajian king's children were disunited and King Ajatashatru rode in to annexe the state.

Looking back on history, one can't help but wonder if Chavalit is going to turn out to be the Vassakara of modern times, and if indeed he is the master of all political intrigue.