without any cooperation with smaller parties. On 9 February, Thaksin Shinawatra, the billionaire turned politician, was elected as Thai Prime Minister by the TRT’s MPs (Harker, 2003). The appearance of Thaksin and his party not only changed the political landscape in Thailand; as hinted at by most political scientists (McCargo & Pathmanand, 2005), it also separated the Thai people into two conflicting political factions: the Thaksin supporters and the protesters.