When Thaksin Shinawatra, Thailand's usually cheerful prime minister, starts urging Thais not to panic about the trade deficit and to save fuel by turning off the lights, it is safe to assume that Asia's fast-growing economies are in danger of losing their sparkle.
Thailand, it is true, has been hit by several severe and unrelated problems in recent months, including drought, bird flu, high oil prices and the Indian Ocean tsunamis.
