Andrew Buncombe: A political crisis with former PM Thaksin at its core

At the heart of the political turmoil stands Thaksin Shinawatra. The opposition claims that the former prime minister, ousted in 2006, remains a controlling influence on the government, made up of his allies from the People Power Party (PPP).

Mr Thaksin, who came back briefly to Thailand this year and then fled again, was found guilty in absentia in October of breaking a conflict of interest and sentenced to two years in jail. The UK has since revoked his visa and the former telecommunications tycoon, who bought and then sold Manchester City football club, is in Dubai.

Related articles

• Thousands stranded in the siege of Bangkok airport
• Leading article: Time for a royal intervention
• British tourists moved from Bangkok airport
• Search the news archive for more stories

Meanwhile, the PPP prime minister and ally of Mr Thaksin, Samak Sundaravej, was forced to resign in September amid mounting pressure from the opposition. The former television chef stood down after he was found guilty of acting unconstitutionally after he appeared on a cooking show while serving as premier. Since then, the opposition has focused its attention on Mr Samak's successor, Somchai Wongsawat, who happens to also be a brother-in-law of Mr Thaksin. This infuriates the opposition, which for the past three months has occupied the official compound of the Prime Minister in Bangkok, forcing him to work from an office at the city's international airport.

The opposition coalition calls itself the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) although its goal is not to secure more democracy but less. The group believes the rural poor – who make up much PPP support – are too uneducated to be involved in politics and that a number of MPs should be appointed rather than elected.

Polls suggest that the PAD no longer has nationwide support. Perhaps conscious of this, it has called on the army to carry out a coup to bring down the government. The PAD also styles itself as a defender of King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Some analysts believe that the king could yet step in and dissolve the government.