On July 7, 2008, private eye P Balasubramaniam marked his wedding anniversary as he was interviewed by police officers for about six to seven hours at the Malaysian embassy in Bangkok.

Last Tuesday, he celebrated his anniversary, this time being interviewed at a press conference in the United Kingdom capital London, this time under far more relaxed circumstances. The supporting cast and the location may have changed, but the focus remained the same.

Yet what has often been relegated to a footnote has been the tribulations of the man himself.