silly talk of black magic exposing Thailand as a global joke

Aside from the stupid and irresponsible comments from the politicians quoted, what sort of weird reporting is The Nation doing? Check out the last line:

On his tour of the Northeast, caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra consulted a few apparent experts in Cambodian black magic but Newin Chidchob, the Prime Minister Office's minister, stood out.

In Surin, Thaksin rode an elephant and performed the old ritual carried out by warriors before a battle of walking under the beast's belly to boost his power and fortune.

In an unusual but deliberate act, carried out with precision, Thaksin toured Baan Taklang, also known as Elephant Village, which is Newin's hometown and where his father was a mahout.

To scare off his enemies, Thaksin was given a magical elephant prod. He happily responded: "I will use this prod, along with spells and talismans, to control the fierce opponents who are trying to oust me."

Newin also apparently instructed Thaksin to increase his strength by paying respect at the mahout's shrine, where he conducts rites for the elephants, and a Khmer temple.

Meanwhile in Bangkok, Buri Ram Senator Karun Saingam also called on murky powers when he asked female protesters to pass pictures of Thaksin between their legs to curse the embattled premier.

It is an open secret that during recent weeks Thaksin has followed strict routines and instructions from astrologers and black magic masters.[ed. is this news, or 'would-be' news? The editorial supervision at The Nation has become noticeably lax during the recent season of protest.