Ousted PM Thaksin retakes center stage as Thais resume street protests 2 years after coup

Ousted PM Thaksin retakes center stage as Thais resume street protests 2 years after coup - IHT, June 4, 2008
...The protests may just be a tip of the iceberg of a fundamental conflict between "the old establishment" represented by the coup leaders and Bangkok's traditional power-brokers and "the new establishment" of Thaksin and his allies.
Thaksin transformed Thailand by bringing the once largely silent rural population into any future political equation. His return to power, officially or behind the scenes, would likely put populist politics back on track along with other hallmarks of his regime — crony capitalism, corruption and centralization of power...