Master spin doctors

Hun Sen has been keeping his people updated on Thaksin's movements since he landed in Pochentong airport on Tuesday.

Thaksin has been capturing headlines on all publications, and at least three major Khmer-language newspapers - Koh Santepheap Daily, Rasmei Kampuchea Newspaper and the Khmer edition of Phnom Penh Post - have been devoting their front page to the story.

In fact, Phnom Penh Post dedicated its front page, both in the English and Khmer editions, to a huge image of Thaksin offering a "wai" to Cambodian officials as he got off his private jet on Tuesday morning. Several newspapers carried other pictures of Thaksin's activities in the inside pages.

A newsstand vendor said he was doing brisk business because people were interested in finding out what Thaksin was up to.

Most newspapers focused on the souring of bilateral relations, though Phnom Penh Post took another route by quoting Thaksin as saying: "I will not help Cambodia fight Thailand".

Kampuchea Television also slotted in full coverage of the Hun Sen-Thaksin hour-long joint press conference yesterday afternoon. The coverage of the press meeting was followed by a statement from the Cambodian Foreign Ministry rejecting Thailand's request for Thaksin's extradition, which was re-run many times throughout the day.

Thaksin's visit has caught both local and international media attention, with quite a few Thai journalists having been stationed in Phnom Penh to report on Thaksin's activities.

However, Thai media was given very limited access to the former PM. His schedule was not circulated among Thai journalists, and they obtained sketchy information on where he is staying and whom he has met.

Hun Sen and Thaksin have their own media favourites covering and releasing selective information to the public. The Cambodian premier, of course, has his own crew reporting his spin on things, while a foreign television journalist is following Thaksin.

Before this letter was sent, several Thai journalists received a message from Pheu Thai Party politicians hinting that Thaksin might give them a special interview, though nothing was confirmed.

Pheu Thai politicians have also been telling Thai journalists in Phnom Penh to report that a number of red-shirted people have travelled overland from the border town of Poipet opposite Sa Kaew province and Chong Sa-gnam in Si Sa Ket to wait for Thaksin in Siem Reap. However, the information could not be immediately confirmed. Thaksin was scheduled to fly to Siem Reap today and return tomorrow, but his plans to meet the red shirts remained unclear.