first Thai political leader to be elected on policies and not personality. In 2001, he had three simple pledges - to wage war on poverty, drugs and corruption.

Unfortunately his drugs policy was waged with real bullets and more than 2,500 petty drug dealers and others were simply wiped out without any legal constraints on the police. As for corruption, he certainly did nothing to halt that; in fact he was responsible for allowing it to flourish by stacking every institution he could with his own cronies and yes-men. On poverty, he at least managed to shift vast sums into the rural areas, which explains his fervent support in the countryside.

However, his dreadful record on civil liberties and press freedom plus his disastrous military campaign against Muslim separatists in the South has completely alienated not just Thailand's urban chattering

classes but also powerful military forces close to the King.

But his greatest weakness is arrogance. He refused to listen to advice - who cares if the public are revolting? The only thing he unwaveringly believed in was the polls and they showed him to be winning.

So what next? His closest friend in London is Mohammed Fayed and he is rumoured to have purchased one of the Egyptian's flats on Park Lane. (He has already acquired an expensive apartment off Kensington High Street for his daughter.)

He might buy himself a football club: he has expressed interest in the past in Fulham and Liverpool. Who knows, his remaining television channels in Thailand could become outlets for his sporting content - now that they have ceased being useful for his propaganda campaigns.

Coup in Asia, no one dead

The First Post's newsdesk