The rift between the government and the military is getting wider by the day and has no end in sight. The two groups seem unable to come up with a common solution on how the country should deal with Burma.
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's brand of "personal diplomacy" - that pushes reconciliation with Burma to the point it may jeopardise national security - should not come at the expense of national interest, many critics say.
Thailand's lack of understanding of Burma's domestic politics has hampered Thai efforts in dealing with the military government, participants at a seminar yesterday argued, pointing to the rivalry between Burma' s Army commander General Muang Aye and the country's security chief Lt-General Khin Nyunt.
At the start of a high-profile visit in April, a red-carpet welcome at Government House for Muang Aye - as if he were head of the government - indicated Thailand gave favour to Burma's No-2 leader, said Burmese affairs expert Sunait Chutintranond. His "rival" Khin Nyunt received no similar treatment when he was in Thailand as a guest of Deputy Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh in September last year.
"It is true they [Maung Aye and Khin Nyunt] are competing but they will never separate. Only unity among generals can save the regime as it is now facing new political circumstances, including freeing the opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi," Sunait said.
Burma's internal politics are very complex. The clumsy diplomatic move will damage Thai national interest in the long run, he said.
Critics said the premier had been unable to make Rangoon accountable for the illicit activities of some groups it had signed cease-fire agreements with - namely the United Wa State Army, a 20,000-strong outfit that authorities blame for flooding Thailand with methamphetamines.
Thaksin's supporters, on the other hand, were yesterday quick to defend "personal diplomacy", pointing to tangible progress the current administration has made over the past year. The approach is still needed, said retired general Sanan Kachornklam, also a close aide to Defence Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh.
"Normal diplomatic channels never work since Burmese ruling style is also based on personal charisma," Sanan said. He added that Gen Maung Aye was the right person to talk with because he controls all uniformed armed forces and is in charge of internal affairs.Personal contact has achieved deals of mutual interest, he said, including joint fisheries, tourism and infrastructure development, as well as counter-narcotics moves in the form of crop substitution.But all of this so-called progress nose-dived to a low ebb when flare-ups erupted along the border.
For the past two weeks, Thai and Burmese soldiers and sailors have squared off along their land and water borders as armed ethnic rebel armies have made the best of the situation by playing each country off against the other.
Pressure is on for the premier to do something, but he appears to be at a loss on what to do following vicious accusations from Rangoon over Thailand's role in the proxy war on the border. Rangoon has accused the Thai Army of going too far and is demanding that Bangkok, which extended an olive branch to Rangoon, live up to its promises.
Thaksin, meanwhile, looks lonelier by the day and frustrations appear to be getting the best of the PM, who has been the butt of strong public criticism for his handling of the situation. Thaksin's statement accusing the Army of "over-reacting" was quite damaging. But Chavalit wasn't too far behind with his call for the Army to respond with smoke signals instead of live rounds in the event of stray shells landing on the Thai side of the border.
For the time being, Thaksin looks stuck. The premier with the "can-do" attitude and philosophy has been somewhat silent, tasting the bitter pill of border politics. Perhaps he's slowly coming to see that Thai-Burmese relations, and border politics, are not a walk in the park.