Thaksin Shinawatra's flight from justice to London via the Beijing Olympics raises fascinating questions, particularly whether his departure will allow Thailand to take some toddler steps towards fulfilling its immense potential as a modern economy with a democratic form of government.
I should start with a declaration of interest. I went to Bangkok in the early 2000s to edit a tiny daily English-language business paper. We made exciting but frustrating progress in reporting on one of the world's best-endowed but problem-filled countries, until shortly after the 2005 election won overwhelmingly by Thaksin and his Thai Rak Thai party.
My proprietor, who had previously worked for Thaksin, quarrelled with him, before making up and again becoming a golfing buddy, was visited by the prime minister's close supporters who declared that they wanted to put me into prison - no mention of charges or a trial first - for 'unbalanced election coverage'.
Our outrage was interviewing an opposition economics professor who raised pertinent questions about government policies. We tried in vain to get a similar interview with a government minister. Over my protests about the importance of press freedom and the nonsense of the charges, my proprietor shouted angrily: 'You're effing useless; get out of my sight.'
The answer to the question about Thailand after Thaksin is that it is too early to say. He still has his supporters - and cynical opponents - who hope, or fear, that the deposed former leader will reappear using the magic of his name and his money to regain power as prime minister or, perhaps, as president of Thailand when the world's longest-living but ailing monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, dies.
Evidently, Thaksin has recognised that his name and his considerable money, even with US$2 billion frozen by the Thai authorities, are not as powerful as they once were. Having gone to Beijing for the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games, he decided it was safer to fly to London than face a court in Bangkok to answer corruption charges.