Defence Minister Boonrawd Somtas said it himself that based on evidence and plausible assumption, he suspected men in uniform were involved in the New Year bomb attacks.

On January 8, General Prem Tinsulanonda, president of the Privy Council, met with 84 senior cavalry officers and key battalion commanders and urged them to act as an anchor for public morale and safeguard the country in light of the unstable situation triggered by political turbulence.

"Soldiers must win the people's trust that they are capable of assuring safety and normalcy," he said.

Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont reminded members of the public that they should brace for politically-motivated violent incidents in the next few months.

From the look of things, particularly the crucial meeting between Prem and battalion commanders, I believe that the mid-year military reshuffle in July preceding the September 19 coup was the catalyst for bomb blasts.

Army chief General Sonthi Boonyaratglin outflanked then premier Thaksin Shinawatra by uprooting all of battalion commanders seen as Thaksin's cronies. Sonthi's move undermined the clout of Thaksin's allies from Pre-Cadet Class 10 and paved way for his grip on power.

Maj General S, a Thaksin's Pre-Cadet Class 10 fellow graduate and staunch ally, had personal and professional interest to steer officers from Pre-Cadet Class 22-to-24 to rise through the military ranks. The general and his proteges are now assigned to desk job.

In the July's reshuffle, Sonthi chose to fill key battalion positions with graduates from Pre-Cadet Class 25-to-26. And he removed the majority of Pre-Cadet Class 10 officers to inactive positions after the coup.

Even though there is no one pointing an accusing finger against former battalion commanders, it is not a mere coincidence that Prem should have an unscheduled meeting with incumbent commanders.

Hush talks in the military barracks indicated that bombers might be crack troops from the Northeast. It is another matter, however, whether police could uncover sufficient evidence to merit prosecution.

I suspect the masterminds behind the bombing will never be unmasked because it is a long-established tradition that graduates from the Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy will not annihilate one another.

Based on past incidents, only General Chalard Hiranyasiris was executed by firing after a failed coup against the Kriangsak Chamanan government because he shot dead General Arun Thawathasin, then commander of the First Army Region who opposed the power seizure.

Suspected masterminds in all past bombings linked to the military continue to elude the law to this day.

It should be interesting how Sonthi would rotate his combat commanders in April. It is imperative that Sonthi must realign key Army positions if peace is to return to the capital.