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[Sexpat]

Some detractors fervently believe the government has taken to hiding itself in an "invisible shell" and is reliant on the army's goodwill and protection. They are convinced the government's trust in the army has been reinforced time and again, starting from the Democrat-led coalition's very birth. . .

While the army has shrugged off as myth the allegation it had professed itself as the power broker, what comes across as obvious is that Mr Abhisit has placed more trust in the army in the aftermath of the Songkran rioting. The army has also voiced concern about the prime minister's safety in light of the hostile political landscape.

Mr Abhisit trusts the army enough to allow the Army Chief-of-Staff Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha to overhaul his security team. As a result, the old quads of security officers attached to the Royal Thai Armed Forces Command including the air force's commandos, have been replaced with 30 elite officers of the Chon Buri-based 21st Infantry Regiment recognised as the Queen's Own Guards.

The prime minister's inner-tier security is now in the hands of the army. The motorcade, for example, is spearheaded by personnel from the Military Police Battalion of the 11th Army Military Circle in charge of traffic clearance ahead of the prime minister's vehicle. Throwing a security cordon is the forte of the Queen's Guards who count Gen Prawit, Gen Anupong and the First Army commander Lt Gen Kanit Sapithak among its ranks.

A top army source said access to the prime minister's security surveillance has been restricted to the army. Placing the top security in the care of a single agency serves the purpose of maintaining confidentiality.

But another army source noted the centralised supervision of the prime minister's security could also afford the army a thorough insight into Mr Abhisit's every movement, enabling it to keep tabs on the prime minister. . . Lt Gen Kanit said it may be the first time in history when the prime minister comes under the blanket of protection from the Queen's Guards believed to be best suited for safeguarding a leader in peril."

http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion...bhisit-security