When Thaksin Shinawatra arrived in Singapore recently, he got a rather shabby, pale-pink-carpet kind of reception. That was not what he had become used to. There was no 21-gun salute, guard of honour, presidential banquet, address to parliament or meeting with the prime minister. But, after all, Mr Thaksin was on a purely 'private' visit as the deposed head of the Thai government, part of the world tour in which he has been circling his former domain.
However, he did meet Deputy Prime Minister Shanmugam Jayakumar and gave media interviews which have enraged the Thai junta and much of the Thai press.
The visit raises some impertinent diplomatic and practical questions for Mr Thaksin and for the Thai junta, as well as for Singapore.
For Mr Thaksin, his visits to Singapore, Indonesia, mainland China, Hong Kong and Japan hardly dispel the idea that he has given up politics.
In a pathetically soft interview with CNN, he claimed that 'enough is enough', saying he was retiring from politics. He presented himself as a hard-done-to figure who had only tried to 'serve the people' - so that it was difficult to see him as a ruthless political leader or even a billionaire. Mr Thaksin talked of his 'belief' in the kindness of Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej and of the national 'spirit' and tradition of amnesty.
But he was not pressed on what forgiveness he was seeking and for which misdeeds. He added that if he were allowed to return to Thailand, his strongest desire was to rebuild national harmony and end the political crisis. His wish to do this 'outside the political arena' was rightly seen in Thailand as a signal that the former leader is not finished as a political force.