Thai "yellow shirt" leader shot

[Faustian]

My worry is that the yellow shirts may seek to re-emerge, then we will have 2 factions and civil war is then a possibility. I think this was done to provoke a reaction and cause more instability...I imagine mr square head was behind this, as he wants chaos....craves it....so he can do his messiah bit. Lots of game playing going on.

 

I hope the driver makes a recovery.

[Mekong]

I HOPE the Yellow shirts show strong restraint and don't react except for issuing statements. If PAD were to act in this way it could serve them a lot better in the long run, there is an opportunity to make gains out of this.

 

 

[waerth]

I think this is very very bad - could be the tipping point for more violence

 

I think you are right

 

But let us HOPE you are wrong!

 

W

[Mentors]

Sondhi in safe condition now: doctor

 

Sondhi Limthongkul has been declared to be in safe condition after being shot by heavily-armed gunmen.

The gangland-style shooting is expected to prolong the state of emergency in Bangkok and suburbs, government leader said.

 

There had been serious concerns for Sondhi's life as a bullet lodged in his skull, causing bleeding inside his brain. Vajira Hospital doctors conducted an urgent operation on Sondhi which completed before noon.

Sondhi is now safe and even able to speak, medical sources said.

 

Sondhi, a core leader of yellow shirts, known also as People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), who seized Bankok airports late last year, has no wounds on his body.

His driver, Vayupak Mussi, was also seriously wounded from the attack. Doctors said later that he survived and was now in stable condition.

PAD's spokesman Parnthep Pualpongpan said at least two attackers riding on a pickup blocked Sondhi's vehicle who was on Samsen Road, heading to Manager newspaper office in Banglampoo area early Friday morning.

 

The attackers then shot four tyres of Sondhi's vehicle before stepping out of their car and sprayed more bullets on the car. The attack lasted about five minutes and the attackers went back to their pickup which sped away along Tevet Road.

Police who rushed to the scene found Sondhi's car riddled with bullets and they could collect more than 100 cartridges of AK-16 and rifles from the scene.

Parnthep said Sondhi was informed of reports that he could possible a target of attack, but he simply ignored the warnings.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2009/04/17/politics/politics_30100677.php

 

[TroyinEwa/Perv]

Wow......5 minutes of shooting. 5 minutes doesn't seem like long most of the time but I bet it does when you're getting sprayed with bullets.

 

Pretty bad shots the attackers were if they only hit him once in all that time.

 

Glad to hear both men seem to be doing ok.

[Mentors]

Sondhi Limthongkul: pugnacious media tycoon with political enemies

 

Thailandâ??s crisis has as much to with personalities as with politics, and two men in particular have defined the conflict which is dividing the country: Thaksin Shinawatra, the deposed Prime Minister, and his arch-enemy, Sondhi Limthongkul, the media tycoon, who was shot by unidentified gunmen this morning.

 

The two were once friends, but since 2005 Mr Sondhi has battled against Mr Thaksin, his political supporters, and all those who vote for him. His pugnacious aggression and thick skin, as well as the financial and propaganda resources afforded by his newspaper and cable television businesses, have been one of the biggest factors in the success of the Yellow Shirt movement which saw off three prime ministers in two years.

 

But the formal name of his organisation, the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), is misleading. Throughout last year, it dedicated itself to the overthrow of a Government that came to power after a legitimate election in December. Mr Sondhi proposed changes to Thailand's Constitution that would restrict voting rights and have MPs appointed by interest groups rather than national elections.

 

His campaign began in 2006 on his television talk show, Thailand This Week, when Mr Thaksin was still prime minister. Under pressure form the government, it was taken off the air, so Mr Sondhi took to the streets.

 

He began putting on his show in Bangkok universities and in the cityâ??s Lumphini Park. Mr Thaksin sued him for libel and, in an earlier and less serious assassination attempt, small, but noisy, bombs exploded without injury at Mr Sondhiâ??s office.

 

The PAD emerged in 2006 as a broad coalition of businessmen, political activists and grass roots organisations from left and right. After months of huge mass rallies, Mr Thaksin was deposed in a bloodless coup in September 2006, and fled to Britain, and the PAD, having achieved its goal, disbanded.

 

After a year of military rule, in which the constitution was amended to the liking of the generals, a new election was held â?? and won decisively by a self-declared follower of Mr Thaksin, The PAD re-emerged with the goal of bringing down the government. Rallies and protests climaxed last summer when thousands of its members pushed past the police and occupied the prime ministerâ??s office. The â??Last Battleâ?Â, as he called it, exposed a darker side of Mr Sondhi.

 

The PADâ??s original simple call for the resignation of the then prime minister broadened to what amounted to a demand for veto power over the government. The problem was that, whatever their demerits as politicians, Mr Thaksin and his supporters were repeatedly elected after democratic elections. In November, the PAD occupied and paralysed Bangkokâ??s international airport and contributed to the fall of the pro-Thaksin government which was replaced by one lead by the opposition leader, Abhisit Vejjajiva.

 

Last July, the PAD unveiled a proposal to address this â?? a â??New Politicsâ?Â, which would reduce the number of elected MPs to 30 per cent, with the rest to be appointed representatives of various business and trade organisations. These proposals were backed up by an army of middle class supporters, plus a militia of young men armed with golf clubs, baseball bats, catapults and guns. When supporters of Mr Thaksin mounted a counter march early last September, one of them was beaten to death by PAD supporters.

It is unsurprising, though deplorable, that violence has now been visited on their leader.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6110424.ece

 

 

[Torneyboy]

Not quietly for sure...

[Flashermac]

<< two attackers riding on a pickup >>

 

Odd ... how did they steer?

 

<< The attackers then shot four tyres of Sondhi's vehicle >>

 

Why didn't they open the boot and shoot the spare?

 

<< they could collect more than 100 cartridges of AK-16 and rifles from the scene. >>

 

What's an AK-16 and how many rifles did they find???

 

 

I suppose this is why Mr T got all of his relatives out of the country before the hit.

 

 

 

[Torneyboy]

For Thailand's sake let's hope not...

[CTO]

I HOPE the Yellow shirts show strong restraint and don't react except for issuing statements. If PAD were to act in this way it could serve them a lot better in the long run, there is an opportunity to make gains out of this.

 

 

Agree totally