Showing at a local political theatre near you: "Return of the Good-Bad Coup Dilemma".

Alleged directors of the previous episode: Privy Council President General Prem Tinsulanonda and Privy Council member General Surayud Chulanont.

Reasons the new episode is screening: political crisis, possible red-yellow shirt confrontation and fear of ensuing civil war, as well as popular demand by some die-hard fans.

Warning: you have watched several versions before - many times, in fact. What a waste of time and democracy.

Why it may not be shown: because the supreme commander of the Armed Forces said yesterday that there would not be another military coup. But they always say that before the screening, without fail.

Movie or no movie, it can't be denied that a large section of the media and many Thais are fixated by it and want it, as they did either tacitly or by openly endorsing the last coup on September 19, 2006.

Nearly three years on, 2006 coup cheerleader-in-chief-cum-leader of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) Sondhi Limthongkul isn't impressed with the result of the last episode.

He responded to reporters after being asked about the allegation made by Thaksin Shinawatra that Prem and Surayud were behind the coup, by saying he had no idea, but added, "I don't see it as a disgrace, if they planned the coup. [If so, they should] just say yes I did it, because I wanted to rescue the country ... But they didn't revolutionise democracy. They just took power from Thaksin's cronies and put it into their own hands. That's why they're speechless. It serves them right."

Apparently it wasn't quite a "good coup", Sondhi must be thinking.

Sondhi's son, Varit Limthongkul, wrote in the Manager Daily newspaper on November 27 last year about a tangible result of the 2006 coup, saying the armed forces had become "stronger and enjoy greater leverage" and, when they "request" the government for an arms purchase, the then-Samak Sundaravej government "dare not say no".

Please add the current Abhisit Vejjajiva administration as well.

Now, some fear a real "bad coup" is on the horizon. On April 1, Thai Post newspaper reported that the People's Network for Elections had issued a warning that Thaksin may be paying some cash-hungry generals to stage a "bad coup".

Back to the last coup, a columnist by the pen name of "Than Khuen Noi" on page two of the same paper happened to lament on the same day that "good people" who staged the 2006 coup somehow unfortunately didn't see their job through.

"Good people who have absolute power in their hands, be it police, military, the judiciary or prisons, can issue legislature and change rules and regulations as the head of the coup-makers," said the columnist, who added that the coup-makers had failed to make it a "good coup".

"But still these are good individuals," the columnist insisted.

Back in 2006, right after the coup, even Matichon newspaper, which claims to be the conscience of the educated middle class, wrote an editorial on September 21, titled: "Why must there be a coup?"

"If the coup-makers are earnest and deliver the goods, this would be the final answer to the question, 'Why must there be a coup?', the editorial said in its final paragraph.

For seven decades, Thailand has been deeply trapped in the vicious cycle of good-bad coups and, though it's still uncertain who was the real director of the September 2006 coup, the real producers must be a large section of the media and the people themselves who accept and even endorse one putsch after another.

As Thailand heads towards another coup-friendly situation with massive anti-government protests promised on the streets today, people should try to grow up and say no to both "good" and "bad" coups, no matter what will happen, because - good or bad - it's still a coup d'etat and can only further stunt the path of Thailand's democratisation.

Coup lovers, the real movie producers: you have been warned.