It is not hard to figure out what has kept statesman and Privy Council chairman Gen Prem Tinsula... Sleepless in Bangkok...

It is not hard to figure out what has kept statesman and Privy Council chairman Gen Prem Tinsulanonda sleepless these days. of course, it is southern unrest and the political turmoil.

The signs are his frowning face, his shorter temper (occasionally vented on his aides), more time at the piano, more newspapers at breakfast, a new cable TV channel and a later bedtime.

According to one of his close military aides, the former prime minister - who always grinned and barely rebuked anyone - now frowns often and criticises his aides sometimes.

He now plays the piano, writes songs and sings more often to ease stress. He is often seen sitting at his piano at times other than his regular 10am.

The general, who usually reads only the Bangkok Post and The Nation at breakfast now reads Thai Rath, Daily News, Matichon, Naew Na and Khom Chad Luek dailies as well, although he skims over only the front pages.

He is also glued to a television screen to follow up on the anti-Thaksin rallies, led by media activist Sondhi Limthongkul and Maj-Gen Chamlong Srimuang, the former Palang Dharma party leader and close aide to Gen Prem during his years as prime minister.

Nation Channel cable TV was recently installed at his Si Sao Theves residence at his request so Gen Prem can see exactly how many people join the various rallies.

To relax, the general, at the age of 86, still goes jogging in the front yard for half an hour every day and plays nine holes of golf every Tuesday and Thursday.

But insomnia sets in at night because the light in his bedroom, which used to be off at around 10pm every night, is still on late into the night these days.

But it seems impossible for the man who went through such hard times in politics, the military and real life to be discouraged by unconstructive and disparaging remarks by those who may perhaps not hold him in the highest esteem.

Before the Thai Rak Thai party held a rally last Friday to show support for caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, ahead of the People's Alliance for Democracy's anti-government demonstration on March 6, rumours started to spread around that miliary officers who were the prime minister's classmates at Class 10 of the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School were in disagreement over whether to lend support for Mr Thaksin.

The first group comprised officers who were loyal to the prime minister amid a rumour that there would be a coup to secure the top administrative post for Mr Thaksin. However, Gen Pornchai Kranlert, assistant army chief and leader of the group, came out to deny it, saying that the rumour was intended to damage Class 10 officers.

The third group comprised Class 10 officers who were determined to side with PAD as Mr Thaksin's sale of Shin Corp shares to Singapore's Temasek Holdings was unacceptable to them.

Observers believed that it was disunity among the Class 10 officers that made the coup rumour finally fade away because those who wanted a coup dared not go ahead with it for fear they would not get support from their peers.

Despite this, when Mr Thaksin delivered a major speech to supporters at Sanam Luang on March 3 many, if not all, Class 10 officers turned up to show support for the prime minister.

These officers, led by Gen Trairong Intarathat, a chief of staff officer attached to the defence minister, lined up to greet Mr Thaksin on his arrival.

Gen Trairong had openly declared his support for the prime minister. Maj-Gen Prin Suwannathat, First Infantry Division commander, who led the wait-and-see policy group, also showed up and surprised everyone.

"For soldiers, touching the left side of the chest where the heart is located is a show of sincerity. It is a heart-to-heart communication," a Class 10 officer said.

After five years of war over media coverage, the balance is eventually tipping in favour of caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's critics.

The programme, off the air recently following the House dissolution, was used to rebut allegations and often hit back at his critics rather than explain the government's policies.

Mr Thaksin's sidekicks also used any means possible to keep the boss' critics and opponents away from access to the media. Certain community radio programmes criticising the leadership were raided and taken off the air.

When the prime minister was in hot water, some juicy stories would spring up - celebrities breaking up or celebrities getting knocked off or arrests of influential figures.

These kinds of "in-the-public-interest" stories took up much of the media's space that, some people believed, should have been devoted to investigative reports into government corruption scandals.

Mr Thaksin went to great lengths by accusing certain media outlets of distorting facts or harbouring personal grudges against him. A successful trick was to buy newspaper ads to publicise or clarify certain issues.

However, the weekly mobile political talk-show Muang Thai Rai Sapda hosted by media firebrand Sondhi Limthongkul, a key leader of the anti-Thaksin campaign, was born out of such media gagging and interference.

The twist came after the House dissolution and the anti-Thaksin campaign gaining steam. Some television channels started to give wider coverage to the prime minister's opponents.

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