If there really is an underground Republican movement, it would have existed long before Thaksin & Bush came along, and one only needs to read Handley's 'The King Never Smiles' to get some idea why it would exist.

The fact that Handley's book is banned in Thailand is syptomatic of the concern many 'thinkers' have about the way things are done in Thailand.

My own gut feeling is that there is no real/significant desire for a rebublic in Thailand, and most of the detractors really just want more transparency, and freedom of expression & opportunity.

Thaksin is a 'red herring' on these matters, but the old elite like to link him wth some so called underground republican movement so they can 'kill two birds with one stone'.