Only courts can deal with Thaksin

The rally at the Victory Monument on Saturday to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra resembled the so-called “Bangkok Shutdown” held in 2014 by the People’s Democratic Reform Committee to demand the ouster of the government of then prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, Ms Paetongtarn’s aunt.

- Veera Prateepchaikul

The size of the crowd was stunning, estimated by the police in the tens of thousands. It was bigger than the rallies held by the “three-finger” movement during the rule of Gen Prayuth Chan-o-cha following the coup that ousted the Yingluck administration.

The head bands, wrist bands and ribbons bearing the tri-colour of the Thai national flag which appeared at the event also recall the atmosphere and sentiments of the mass rallies over a decade ago.

Many of the protesters are politically literate and working people. Several of the protest leaders are from the same group who spearheaded the protests against Yingluck over a decade ago and her brother, former prime minister Thaksin, about two decades ago.

Sonthi Limthongkul, a group leader behind Saturday's protest and owner of the Manager media group, told the crowd he led the protest against Thaksin about two decades ago and didn't expect to be actively involved in a protest now against his daughter, Ms Paetongtarn.

Regardless of all the deja-vu, the collective frustration and resentment among countless Thais against Ms Paetongtarn and Thaksin would not have reached the point that drove them to take to the streets at the Victory Monument without the blessing in disguise delivered by Cambodian strongman Hun Sen, a close friend of the Shinawatra family and now Thailand's Number One enemy.