He spent much of his weekly TV address to the nation accusing the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) of trying to stir up political unrest during a gathering last Friday when it threatened, then rejected a plan to renew street protests.
“Their intention was to stir-up violence but that would be difficult because peace has already been restored to our country," he said.
He also accused "a certain general" of conspiring to hand out a second election red card to House Speaker Yongyuth Thiyapairat in case the Chiang Rai politician is acquitted by the court of election fraud for an offence currently under scrutiny.
Then he took a wide swing at academics who use the media to attack the government.
“I can’t allow a one-sided attack on the government by these academics who do it through the media," he said. "That’s why I have to continue with my weekly television programme because the government needs to give its side of the story. We can’t allow these people to say as they please and have the government sit and listen to them without a channel to defend itself, which was the case was during the Thaksin Shinawatra administration."
The PAD's huge street protests in mid-2006 were at least partly responsible for the military coup of Sept 19 of that year. Mr Samak said the PAD is trying to repeat history.
"Let them think again," he told the TV audience.
So far as violence and confrontation outside the Thammasat University hall where the PAD held a "seminar" last Friday, Mr Samak said he was powerless to prevent anti-PAD protests.
"I cannot stop (People Power) party members who want to join a pro-government demonstration," he said.
More than 500 police kept the two groups apart last Friday, but there was rude shouting and jostling from the pro-government side. A TV cameraman was injured when a bottle was thrown by someone in or near the anti-PAD demonstrators.
According to several polls, Mr Samak's weekly TV shows are popular and widely watched, at least in the Bangkok region.
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