Thai media mogul and protest leader Sondhi Limthongkul, in his first public remarks since his attempted murder on April 17, said at a news conference that foes of political change had conspired to kill him. (Photo: Reuters)Thai Says Military Behind Murder Plot
MAY 4, 2009
By JAMES HOOKWAY Wall Street Journal
Mogul's Claim, Absolving Political Foe Thaksin, Puts New Twist on Nation's Turmoil.
BANGKOK -- A Thai media baron who was instrumental in toppling two governments said an alliance of military officials and politicians bent on thwarting political change was behind an attempt to kill him last month.
Sondhi Limthongkul's claim, while unproven, was notable in part because the businessman and protest leader absolved his political foe, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, and said both men shared a common desire for change.
Mr. Sondhi made the allegation Sunday in his first public remarks since the murder attempt at dawn on April 17. Police say at least five men fired at least 84 rounds from military-grade assault rifles at Mr. Sondhi's car as he traveled to his office in Bangkok's historic old quarter.
Mr. Sondhi had to undergo surgery to remove shrapnel from his skull after the attack, which seriously wounded his driver. No arrests have been made.
The attack was a fresh twist in a continuing political struggle in Thailand over whether the nation should become a functioning, accountable democracy or a place where generals and politicians make deals to determine who wields power, as has been the case for much of Thailand's history.
The rural poor are adding to the volatility by demanding that their voice be heard, too.
Mr. Sondhi, 61 years old, is playing a leading role in the debate. In 2005 and early 2006, he stirred mass protests against then-Prime Minister Thaksin, accusing him of corruption. The protests helped pave the way for the armed forces to remove Mr. Thaksin in a military coup later that year.
In 2008, Mr. Sondhi and his yellow-clad allies in the People's Alliance for Democracy helped force the collapse of a government led by Mr. Thaksin's brother-in-law by occupying and shutting down Bangkok's international airports for a week as army and police looked on.
Many commentators had expected Mr. Sondhi to link the attack on him to supporters of Mr. Thaksin. But at Sunday's news conference live on his ASTV satellite network, he said he believed the assault was plotted by a group of military officers and political backers opposed to both Mr. Thaksin's populist version of democracy and his own efforts to promote a culture of accountability. He didn't provide any names.
"I am certain that soldiers were behind this assassination attempt," Mr. Sondhi said, citing the way assailants positioned themselves around his vehicle and how they held their weapons.
Thai army chief Gen. Anupong Paochinda has said bullets found at the scene of the shooting had been issued to a military division. Gen. Anupong couldn't be reached for comment Sunday.
An army spokesman said the military would have no official comment on Mr. Sondhi's allegation until police investigators submit their report.
Mr. Sondhi on Sunday linked the causes of his allies in the People's Alliance for Democracy and Mr. Thaksin's supporters, or the "red shirts," as they are known, saying both are pushing for political change in Thailand.
Mr. Sondhi and the PAD are demanding greater accountability and the end of corruption and money-based politics, while the red shirts seek fresh parliamentary elections and want the army and Thailand's courts to stop interfering in the country's democracy.
"The yellows and the reds are seeking something very similar, which is change. The only difference once we have achieved that change is how to go about creating a new politics," or a more effective way to run the country, Mr. Sondhi said.
He also said not everybody is on board with his program for a corruption-free "new politics," though he declined to give names.
If Mr. Sondhi's claim that the army was behind the attempt is true, it could indicate that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva isn't fully in control of Thailand. It might also mean that members of the armed forces could be jockeying for a greater say in how the nation is governed.
Mr. Sondhi commands a large audience through his television and newspaper network and has largely been supportive of Thailand's armed forces and the coup they staged in 2006. He said at the time it was necessary to uproot Mr. Thaksin's lingering influence in Thai society.
Mr. Thaksin now is moving from country to country to evade extradition and imprisonment on a corruption conviction.
"What we may be seeing now is a realignment of alliances," said Thitinan Pongsudhirak of Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University.
—Wilawan Watcharasakwet contributed to this article.
BANGKOK -- A Thai media baron who was instrumental in toppling two governments said an alliance of military officials and politicians bent on thwarting political change was behind an attempt to kill him last month.
Sondhi Limthongkul's claim, while unproven, was notable in part because the businessman and protest leader absolved his political foe, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, and said both men shared a common desire for change.
Mr. Sondhi made the allegation Sunday in his first public remarks since the murder attempt at dawn on April 17. Police say at least five men fired at least 84 rounds from military-grade assault rifles at Mr. Sondhi's car as he traveled to his office in Bangkok's historic old quarter.
Mr. Sondhi had to undergo surgery to remove shrapnel from his skull after the attack, which seriously wounded his driver. No arrests have been made.
The attack was a fresh twist in a continuing political struggle in Thailand over whether the nation should become a functioning, accountable democracy or a place where generals and politicians make deals to determine who wields power, as has been the case for much of Thailand's history.
The rural poor are adding to the volatility by demanding that their voice be heard, too.
Mr. Sondhi, 61 years old, is playing a leading role in the debate. In 2005 and early 2006, he stirred mass protests against then-Prime Minister Thaksin, accusing him of corruption. The protests helped pave the way for the armed forces to remove Mr. Thaksin in a military coup later that year.
In 2008, Mr. Sondhi and his yellow-clad allies in the People's Alliance for Democracy helped force the collapse of a government led by Mr. Thaksin's brother-in-law by occupying and shutting down Bangkok's international airports for a week as army and police looked on.
Many commentators had expected Mr. Sondhi to link the attack on him to supporters of Mr. Thaksin. But at Sunday's news conference live on his ASTV satellite network, he said he believed the assault was plotted by a group of military officers and political backers opposed to both Mr. Thaksin's populist version of democracy and his own efforts to promote a culture of accountability. He didn't provide any names.
"I am certain that soldiers were behind this assassination attempt," Mr. Sondhi said, citing the way assailants positioned themselves around his vehicle and how they held their weapons.
Thai army chief Gen. Anupong Paochinda has said bullets found at the scene of the shooting had been issued to a military division. Gen. Anupong couldn't be reached for comment Sunday.
An army spokesman said the military would have no official comment on Mr. Sondhi's allegation until police investigators submit their report.
Mr. Sondhi on Sunday linked the causes of his allies in the People's Alliance for Democracy and Mr. Thaksin's supporters, or the "red shirts," as they are known, saying both are pushing for political change in Thailand.
Mr. Sondhi and the PAD are demanding greater accountability and the end of corruption and money-based politics, while the red shirts seek fresh parliamentary elections and want the army and Thailand's courts to stop interfering in the country's democracy.
"The yellows and the reds are seeking something very similar, which is change. The only difference once we have achieved that change is how to go about creating a new politics," or a more effective way to run the country, Mr. Sondhi said.
He also said not everybody is on board with his program for a corruption-free "new politics," though he declined to give names.
If Mr. Sondhi's claim that the army was behind the attempt is true, it could indicate that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva isn't fully in control of Thailand. It might also mean that members of the armed forces could be jockeying for a greater say in how the nation is governed.
Mr. Sondhi commands a large audience through his television and newspaper network and has largely been supportive of Thailand's armed forces and the coup they staged in 2006. He said at the time it was necessary to uproot Mr. Thaksin's lingering influence in Thai society.
Mr. Thaksin now is moving from country to country to evade extradition and imprisonment on a corruption conviction.
"What we may be seeing now is a realignment of alliances," said Thitinan Pongsudhirak of Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University.
—Wilawan Watcharasakwet contributed to this article.
2 comments:
Sondhi and Taksin are the oppoents to the King. There may be a apossibility of their re-alliance to force the monarchy out of the Thai history.
Wait and see.
Sondhi made and invented the murder story himself. Everybody knew his story for further supporting from Rural poor thai people and he will become a Brave Man. He learned from Khmer Style.
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