The natural life cycle of kerd, kae, jeb, tai (birth, ageing, illness, death) underlines the fact that nothing is forever and one must learn to come to terms with it.
Banharn: Lonely at the top
But the deaths of two senior members of the Chartthaipattana Party - Chumpol Silpa-archa, the party leader, and Maj Gen Sanan Kachornprasart, the party chief adviser - might just be too much for the ageing Banharn Silpa-archa, the party's de facto leader, to stomach.
The deaths were quite a blow for the party and it would seem the passing of the two veteran politicians has thrown Mr Banharn off-balance lately.
As it stands now, Mr Banharn is the party's only remaining senior politician. The younger members have a lot to learn before they can catch up with a man who thinks quick and acts fast like Mr Banharn, who is dubbed Long-ju, the name for a general manager in an old-fashioned Chinese company.
This is because Mr Banharn prefers to run all of the party's affairs by himself, even the affairs of the ministries headed by his party members.
In the wake of the deaths of the party's two heavyweights, some members asked a feng shui master to check the location of the party office which sits on Ratchawithi Road in Bangkok.
The feng shui master recommended that the twin palm trees in front of the party's head office be removed because they looked like joss stick pots placed in front of a coffin, which is believed to bode ill for the party.
Party members did not hesitate to follow the advice and plan merit-making ceremonies, but Mr Banharn has yet to give the go-ahead, according to a source close to Mr Banharn.
''Mr Banharn says he will have an operation on his knee joints and then will hold a big merit-making rite for the party,'' the source said, adding that Mr Banharn is now unable to walk properly because of knee problems.
The source said Mr Banharn told close associates that when his five-year political ban expires at the end of the year, he will re-enter politics for the last time.
He also plans to pass the mantle to the party's younger party members, including his son and the son of the late Maj Gen Sanan.
Senior members such as Pradit Pataraprasit, Somsak Prissananantakul and Nikorn Chamnong will help lead the party through its next phase.
As for the selection of a new tourism and transport minister to replace Mr Chumpol, the source said Mr Banharn gave a list of candidates for the post to deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in Hong Kong for consideration.
But Thaksin thought his younger sister, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, should also have a say in the appointment.
Initially, there were two candidates for the post, but one of them later withdrew. Now there is only one candidate and the procedure to appoint the new minister is under way, the source said.
Mr Banharn looks lonely and depressed now that his younger brother, Mr Chumpol, and Maj Gen Sanan are gone, said the source.
They were veteran politicians of the same generation as Mr Banharn, who has long been involved in politics.
During a party held to celebrate the recent Chinese New Year in Suphan Buri, the Chartthaipattana's main turf, the atmosphere was rather subdued.
Mr Banharn will return to politics one last time and will continue to exert his influence in running the party, although with diminishing enthusiasm.
Busy Yongyuth still out of loop
Yongyuth: Denies political rift
Former House speaker Yongyuth Tiyapairat has learned that having close ties with former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra may not always ensure he gets political access to the corridors of power.
Mr Yongyuth, also a former natural resources and environment minister, is one of 109 MPs presently serving a political ban.
While he has been cooling his heels, he has turned his focus to studying for a doctoral degree in air-pollution management at a university in Canada.
Mr Yongyuth, who continues to be loyal to his boss in exile, is among the banned former members of the disbanded People Power Party, the Chart Thai Party and the Matchimathipataya Party.
According to a political source, Mr Yongyuth is one person who dares to speak his mind, take action and shoulder the responsibility.
These qualities established him as an influential figure with plenty of political clout.
However, Mr Yongyuth's influence in the current administration and the ruling Pheu Thai Party has been restricted by people close to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and those within the party, the source said.
The source added Mr Yongyuth's perceived estrangement from the party has prompted Thaksin and his younger sister Yaowapa Wongsawat to try and convince Mr Yongyuth to talk with Ms Yingluck and clear the air.
However, Mr Yongyuth says he is not at odds with Ms Yingluck.
Mr Yongyuth is now focusing on modernising Chiang Rai, his family's political stronghold where his wife Salakjarin is chief of the Chiang Rai Administration Organisation. Their son, Mitti, also runs Chiang Rai United Football Club.
The source said Mr Yongyuth aims to develop Chiang Rai into a model border province through the promotion of its outstanding history and culture. The province shares its border with Laos and Myanmar as well as being close to China.
According to the source, Mr Yongyuth is working to build up the Golden Triangle bordering Laos, Myanmar and Thailand as a tourist spot.
He also plans to re-develop the ancient city of Chiang Rai called Yonok Nakhon.
Mr Yongyuth has registered the Rak Chiang Rai Foundation which has organised development activities for the province.
However, the foundation's request for financial assistance from the government has received little response from state agencies.
Mr Yongyuth then turned to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, supervised by the Chartthaipattana Party, for sponsorship. It is believed the approach has been met with a favourable response.
PM's image gets a PR makeover
Yingluck: Far more independent
The power of public relations cannot be underestimated and the ruling Pheu Thai Party appears to be mastering the art of persuasion.
The party has used public relations so successfully that its arch-rival Democrat Party has been tempted to follow suit.
Public relations in politics, according to some observers, is simply an image-dressing vehicle.
The government works public relations to its political benefit by making sure the less positive aspects of its performance are not spotlighted, the observers said.
However, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, the country's first female prime minister, has not escaped criticism for paying more visits to other countries than to parliament.
Over the past year, the main images of her overseas trips sent back to Thailand were pictures of her smiling continually and wearing striking dresses.
Political critics say the premier is immaculate when it comes to fashion but is not so substantive on anything gained during the official visits.
But those working close to her dispute the accusation and say the premier works from dawn till dusk and her busy schedule leaves many of her staff worn out at the end of the day.
Despite her image as a perpetually smiling prime minister, Ms Yingluck remains unable to shrug off the perception that she is but a puppet of her elder brother and former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Therefore, public relations efforts are being constantly devised to help build up her image as a more independent premier.
As a result, reports of her latest overseas trip to South Korea and Hong Kong from Feb 24 to 26 did not detail the glossy facts of her destinations and her meetings with foreign authorities as was the case with her previous foreign visits.
The reports of her trips are now more incisive, giving more informed insights into the work of the premier.
That was the reason why close aides of the prime minister led by Suranand Vejjajiva, the prime minister's secretary-general, brought an economic news crew from a television channel along with the delegation to South Korea and Hong Kong. The channel's task was to produce special reports on economic developments relating to Ms Yingluck's trip which show the premier's input on certain subjects.
Ms Yingluck's next trip is to Belgium and Sweden, tentatively set for next month.
The PM's secretary-general has arranged for another crew from the same channel to accompany the prime minister to cover her presence at a fair to promote Thai rice.
Reporters from a popular Thai-language newspaper and an English-language paper are also included in the trip.
Reporters are normally permitted to join the prime minister's overseas trips but their respective organisations must foot the costs themselves.
But it is not entirely clear whether such the rule regarding costs still stands when the mission to devise public relations exercises is factored in.