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Empty talk: Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, left, and Army Commander-in-Chief General Anupong Paojinda, at the 11th Infantry Regiment where the PM’s weekly televised talk to the nation was recorded. The programme, which was broadcast on Sunday April 25, left the public wondering whether the red-shirt protesters would be dispersed from Ratchaprasong or not.
They may sit together and yet seem far apart. After the army chief, General Anupong Paojinda, uttered his politically explosive statement that "politics must be resolved by politics" - basically telling Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to dissolve the House of Representatives in order to get out of the current crisis that has paralysed the country - the two top men have maintained an icy-cold, poles-apart relationship, even though they meet, eat and hang around each other every day at the 11th Infantry Regiment, where the Centre for the Resolution of Emergency Situation (CRES) is located.
A lot can be read between the lines of what PM Abhisit and Gen Anupong said and from their gestures during their TV talk show aired last Sunday.
It is believed Gen Anupong was asked to appear on TV alongside PM Abhisit to quell rumours of a split between the two regarding their different approaches to dealing with the protesters at Ratchaprasong intersection.
While PM Abhisit has often emphasised the need to maintain the sanctity of the law, Gen Anupong has always maintained the stance that nothing should be done at Ratchaprasong as any attempt to reclaim the area would lead to heavy casualties.
Criticism has been loud that Gen Anupong was sitting in "neutral gear" and trying to "float above the conflict" in order to save himself.
"You can ask the army commander yourself if there will be a dispersal or not," Mr Abhisit told the moderator at the beginning of the interview.
A senior military officer believed this was Mr Abhisit's way of nudging Gen Anupong.
"The PM probably wanted to put Gen Anupong on the spot so the latter would have to tell the public himself whether he intended to disperse the crowd or not.
"Mr Abhisit may have believed that the army chief would not dare spell out clearly that he would not try to dissolve the protest - as he'd done last Friday during a meeting of all units that report to him directly," the source added.
While Mr Abhisit remained vague about the crowd dispersal operation - whether indeed there would be any - he did say that "society is expecting an end to the protest so the burden is especially heavy on the army".
The portion of the televised programme that is being most talked about among army personnel, however, is when Mr Abhisit said, as if in retort to Gen Anupong, that the army chief need not and should not be involved in politics.
"Everyone understands that [military] officers have their duties, which involve an emergency situation, national interest and protection of the institutions. They don't need to get involved with politics. Politics must be solved by political means. [Military] officers should not have to be involved. The role of the army is to follow the constitution," Mr Abhisit said.As a politician, Mr Abhisit was clearly more at ease speaking on TV and appeared more articulate in presenting his arguments than the army chief. For many, the show ended up more like a venue for the premier to preach to the army chief about his own role.
Despite the effort, Gen Anupong remained as uncommitted on TV as he has ever been about handling the Ratchaprasong crowd.
"If our actions can bring back law and order and end the problem, I would be ready to follow what the government orders within the lawful framework of the CRES," Gen Anupong said.
Whether that was a "yes" or a "no" is very much up to interpretation.
An army general noted that the two leaders' gestures spoke louder than words. On TV, Mr Abhisit and Gen Anupong did not appear comfortable in each other's company. They did not look straight into each other's faces and appeared to always maintain a distance.
"This is after they have seen each other for months. If they are close, their expression would not be like this," the army source observed.
Some people noted that Gen Anupong was certainly closer to Deputy PM Suthep Thaugsuban than to PM Abhisit. Still, his stance on the red shirts has also chilled the relationship with Deputy PM Suthep. According to sources in the army, Mr Suthep has begun to lose confidence in Gen Anupong's willingness to tackle the red shirts.
Gen Anupong has a friend in Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon, however. Both share the same view that there should not be a crackdown on the protesters at Ratchaprasong. They both agree, though, that the armed militants mingling among the protesters cannot be allowed to go on with their rampaging and must be dealt with decisively.
So, with increased pressure on him not only from PM Abhisit but also from members of the public who disagree with the red shirts' blockage, Gen Anupong has had no choice but to join hands with the police in mapping out a plan to deal with the protesters.
A few meetings have taken place over the week, in which a rough plan on how many police and military officers will be employed and overall strategy, has been discussed. The plan will be updated and modified every day in accordance with any new developments. For now, the authorities have set up six checkpoints facing the red shirts' bamboo-and-tyre fortress to prevent war weapons from being smuggled into the rally site.
"Gen Anupong is doing all this against his will because he realises that if the authorities mount an operation to disperse the crowd, there will be losses. But the army chief has come under so much pressure that he cannot sit idly by and wait until he is released from duty when he retires in five months," the source said.
Both Mr Abhisit and Mr Suthep are in one voice when it comes to people unwilling to execute the government's orders. "Those who believe they cannot do this should come forward and let it be known. You will be moved out and replaced by those who can carry out the task," Mr Suthep said, apparently sending a message to both military and police officials, some of whom are suspected of secretly rooting for the red shirts.
Despite the threat, it remains to be seen whether PM Abhisit would really dare to have Gen Anupong replaced if the army chief continues to drag his feet in the matter of handling the red shirts.
It is believed Gen Anupong was asked to appear on TV alongside PM Abhisit to quell rumours of a split between the two regarding their different approaches to dealing with the protesters at Ratchaprasong intersection.
While PM Abhisit has often emphasised the need to maintain the sanctity of the law, Gen Anupong has always maintained the stance that nothing should be done at Ratchaprasong as any attempt to reclaim the area would lead to heavy casualties.
Criticism has been loud that Gen Anupong was sitting in "neutral gear" and trying to "float above the conflict" in order to save himself.
"You can ask the army commander yourself if there will be a dispersal or not," Mr Abhisit told the moderator at the beginning of the interview.
A senior military officer believed this was Mr Abhisit's way of nudging Gen Anupong.
"The PM probably wanted to put Gen Anupong on the spot so the latter would have to tell the public himself whether he intended to disperse the crowd or not.
"Mr Abhisit may have believed that the army chief would not dare spell out clearly that he would not try to dissolve the protest - as he'd done last Friday during a meeting of all units that report to him directly," the source added.
While Mr Abhisit remained vague about the crowd dispersal operation - whether indeed there would be any - he did say that "society is expecting an end to the protest so the burden is especially heavy on the army".
The portion of the televised programme that is being most talked about among army personnel, however, is when Mr Abhisit said, as if in retort to Gen Anupong, that the army chief need not and should not be involved in politics.
"Everyone understands that [military] officers have their duties, which involve an emergency situation, national interest and protection of the institutions. They don't need to get involved with politics. Politics must be solved by political means. [Military] officers should not have to be involved. The role of the army is to follow the constitution," Mr Abhisit said.As a politician, Mr Abhisit was clearly more at ease speaking on TV and appeared more articulate in presenting his arguments than the army chief. For many, the show ended up more like a venue for the premier to preach to the army chief about his own role.
Despite the effort, Gen Anupong remained as uncommitted on TV as he has ever been about handling the Ratchaprasong crowd.
"If our actions can bring back law and order and end the problem, I would be ready to follow what the government orders within the lawful framework of the CRES," Gen Anupong said.
Whether that was a "yes" or a "no" is very much up to interpretation.
An army general noted that the two leaders' gestures spoke louder than words. On TV, Mr Abhisit and Gen Anupong did not appear comfortable in each other's company. They did not look straight into each other's faces and appeared to always maintain a distance.
"This is after they have seen each other for months. If they are close, their expression would not be like this," the army source observed.
Some people noted that Gen Anupong was certainly closer to Deputy PM Suthep Thaugsuban than to PM Abhisit. Still, his stance on the red shirts has also chilled the relationship with Deputy PM Suthep. According to sources in the army, Mr Suthep has begun to lose confidence in Gen Anupong's willingness to tackle the red shirts.
Gen Anupong has a friend in Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon, however. Both share the same view that there should not be a crackdown on the protesters at Ratchaprasong. They both agree, though, that the armed militants mingling among the protesters cannot be allowed to go on with their rampaging and must be dealt with decisively.
So, with increased pressure on him not only from PM Abhisit but also from members of the public who disagree with the red shirts' blockage, Gen Anupong has had no choice but to join hands with the police in mapping out a plan to deal with the protesters.
A few meetings have taken place over the week, in which a rough plan on how many police and military officers will be employed and overall strategy, has been discussed. The plan will be updated and modified every day in accordance with any new developments. For now, the authorities have set up six checkpoints facing the red shirts' bamboo-and-tyre fortress to prevent war weapons from being smuggled into the rally site.
"Gen Anupong is doing all this against his will because he realises that if the authorities mount an operation to disperse the crowd, there will be losses. But the army chief has come under so much pressure that he cannot sit idly by and wait until he is released from duty when he retires in five months," the source said.
Both Mr Abhisit and Mr Suthep are in one voice when it comes to people unwilling to execute the government's orders. "Those who believe they cannot do this should come forward and let it be known. You will be moved out and replaced by those who can carry out the task," Mr Suthep said, apparently sending a message to both military and police officials, some of whom are suspected of secretly rooting for the red shirts.
Despite the threat, it remains to be seen whether PM Abhisit would really dare to have Gen Anupong replaced if the army chief continues to drag his feet in the matter of handling the red shirts.
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