The dark knight?

All bets are off now that Thaksin Shinawatara is physically out of the country. He is out of bounds of the local rules and norms.

Commentary

By Atiya Achakulwisut

Editorial Pages Editor, Bangkok Post

Did you see it? The message on the son's T-shirt? It stands out from the sea of brand-name accessories the famous family sported - "The BEST is yet to come." Charming. With the right dose of ambivalence. Was it a mere fashion statement? Or was it meant to be a political statement, too? All are welcome to guess but my guess is you will never know.

And since we will never know, it is probably fair to presume whatever we think is right or which might fit in with the situation.

From the looks of it, the statement at least seems to finish off the father's dramatic "Today is not my day" plea perfectly. So wake up from your drooling slumber. There may be a sequel, after all. Even though the same, old plot of super-rich media mogul against the traditionalist elite is wearing thin on the public at large. See these tears? They are not for the old or new money. They are from too much yawning.

What can we expect?

Those who made the mistake of letting out the longest-held sigh of relief on the assumption that THE CRISIS is now over because all the lead actors and actresses have left the building should start holding their breath for yet another long wait to exhale. Mr Thaksin may be out of the country but we will be most mistaken if we believe that he is out of the scene.

The fleeing was no defeat.

It was a clever move, by all means. He head-butted the Thai justice system with his love letter. With his simple act of walking away from it all as if he were leaving a boring B-grade movie, he seems to be issuing a challenge: what can you do now, justice system?

Try to extradite him or his wife? The warning was clear in his missive. Try to build a case to bring him back and it will give him the chance to tell the world his side of the story, his impression of how skewed the main institutions of this country are, especially after the coup.

Foreigners may not believe everything he has to say. But that does not mean he wouldn't be able to do some damage. The coup may not be a factor here, but remains a weapon in his cache that can be used to his benefit.

Looked at in this light, his leaving Thailand was no defeat. It is most likely a tactical retreat aimed at raising the stakes even higher, with the hope of scaring off those he believes are participating in this game of power.

Indeed, all bets are off now that he is physically out of the country. He is out of bounds of the local rules and norms.

The threat is clear. If they dare to go and get him, he will be obliged to defend himself, and who knows what or who else he would be forced to condemn in that act of self-defence?

This whole thing makes me think of the latest episode of Batman.

In fact, if Mr Thaksin can spare a few hours from his shopping and all, and if The Dark Knight is still on in some London theatres, I would recommend that he catch it. The flick could cheer him up with its anti-hero cynicism, such as "you either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain". Wouldn't that touch the bruised heart?

I am sure Mr Thaksin will see himself in the tormented caped crusader. The filthy rich Bruce Wayne only wanted to protect Gotham from vice. In the process, he might have dented a few cars, damaged some property, hurt or killed a couple of people, hopefully bad ones. But his intention was clear. He wanted to make Gotham a better place to live in. And look what his self-sacrifice has brought him? The ungrateful Gotham Land had the nerve to feign political correctness. They cast him out and brandished him an outlaw! Is this how to treat a super-hero?

"Because he's the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now... and so we'll hunt him, because he can take it. Because he's not a hero. He's a silent guardian, a watchful protector... a dark knight."

I can imagine tears welling in the eyes of the former PM, present fugitive, at this point. The world is a complex, cruel place. And the cruellest thing is how people can look at the same thing so differently. While Mr Thaksin may think of himself as a superhero, and it's safe to say a number of people here in this land would concur, there are others who actually see in him the dangerous Joker. The agent of chaos who respects no rules. Who would not care how much damage he causes so long as it proves his point. Who is out there to upset the established order. Who must be contained... at all costs.

So the fight is likely to continue. Trust the T-shirt.