Thanpuying denies plotting to kill Sondhi [-Someone close to the palace implicated in Sondhi's assassination attempt?]

Thanpuying Viriya Chavakul

3/05/2009
Bangkok Post

Thanpuying Viriya Chavakul has denied being the mastermind behind the attempted assassination of People's Alliance for Democracy leader Sondhi Limthongkul.

Speaking to INN news yesterday, Thanpuying Viriya insisted she had no knowledge of the plot to kill Mr Sondhi. Following the assassination attempt, Mr Sondhi said a certain lady close to the palace was one party among many who had "chipped in" to have him killed. "I'm not worried. Whoever wants to implicate me, let them. The truth is the truth. I'm just a woman without a husband who is incapable of doing anything like that to Mr Sondhi," she said. "The thought [of having Mr Sondhi killed] never crossed my mind."

Thanpuying Viriya admitted she was acquainted with military top brass because of her charity work, which included visiting frontline soldiers, and she now heads a foundation under royal patronage to care for border patrol security officers.

The Sondhi murder bid has opened up speculation that the gunmen were connected to, or part of, the security forces. Bullet casings engraved with the initials of the Royal Thai Army were collected from the shooting scene on April 17.

Thanpuying Viriya said the top brass she is close to are now retired and they are not in any active positions.

"Besides, these people don't love me enough to volunteer any kind of risky service for me," she added.

Thanpuying Viriya said she was being discredited because she had "endorsed" former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's loyalty to the monarchy.

"But this is what I believe to be true [Thaksin being loyal to the monarchy]. Everyone is entitled to their opinion," she said. Thanpuying Viriya also denied Mr Sondhi's suggestion that she skimmed money from the sale of blue shirts, a fund-raising project to honour Her Majesty's birthday.

Thai political soap opera: Military behind Sondhi's muder plot

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.

Army bullets used in Sondhi attack

23/04/2009
BangkokPost.com

Army chief Anupong Paojinda has admitted the M16 rifle shells found at the scene of teh attack on People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) leader Sondhi Limthongkul were from the army'a arsenal.

The bullets were issued to the 9th Infantry Division, which is under the First Army Region, he said.

Gen Anupong said it would be very difficult for investigators to narrow down which unit of the division the ammunition actually came from.

It was also possible the bullets were obtained illegally from the division.

"[O]peratives had for the past two years funneled arms through Cambodia to Thaksin-aligned supporters...": Report

A Thai soldier inspects the damaged vehicle of Sondhi Limthongkul, founder of the People's Alliance of Democracy (PAD), in Bangkok. The Thai activist, who led a blockade of the kingdom's main airports last year, was shot and wounded in the head Friday morning in an assassination attempt the government said was aimed at inciting fresh unrest. (Pairoj / AFP/Getty Images)

Thailand extends state of emergency

After Bangkok street violence that claimed two lives and injured up to 100, the Thai prime minister also calls for a probe of the attempted assassination of a protest leader.

April 18, 2009
By Charles McDermid and Jakkapun Kaewsangthong
Los Angeles Times (California, USA)

Reporting from Bangkok -- The prime minister of Thailand extended a state of emergency Friday and pledged to launch an investigation into the assassination attempt on a prominent protest leader that occurred here earlier in the day.

The early-morning ambush of media mogul Sondhi Limthongkul, founder of the movement that toppled the previous government, could dash hopes that Thailand will return to normal soon in the wake of violent street battles Monday that left at least two dead and as many as 100 wounded.

"We will continue applying the state of emergency, but for as short a period as possible, in order to restore peace and normalcy in Bangkok and its vicinities," Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said in a televised address.

Gunmen in a pickup truck without a license plate opened fire on Sondhi's vehicle with automatic weapons about 5 a.m. as he was heading to work to host a television program. Jinttana Damrong, 56, a food vendor, was setting up her stall when the brazen attack took place.

"I went out to prepare food as usual. Suddenly, I heard the sound of a car speed up and then they started shooting. It was like an action movie -- they kept shooting nonstop. I told my son to hide, then I ran to hide."

Maj. Gen. King Kwangvisetchaichai said the assailants first aimed to shoot out the car's tires before riddling it with as many as 100 bullets. Sondhi, who founded the protest movement known as the People's Alliance for Democracy, or PAD, was shot in the shoulder and had a bullet surgically removed from his skull, according to reports.

Sondhi's secretary and driver were also injured. Sondhi has been moved from Vajira Hospital to an undisclosed facility under police protection.

Police say they recovered 84 bullet casings from AK-47 and M-16 assault rifles. A dud M-79 shell was also found, according to local media.

"I have already ordered authorities to check how it is that war weapons emerged and were used in the capital," Abhisit said in his address.

Battlefield weapons were seen across downtown Bangkok on Monday as government troops dislodged red-shirted anti-government forces from sites they occupied around the capital, including their last redoubt at Government House, the office of the prime minister.

The street battles capped a week of violent protests in which the "red shirts" -- supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra -- stormed a key regional summit, forcing its cancellation and the airlift evacuation of several Southeast Asian leaders. About 3,000 remaining protesters surrendered to the government Tuesday morning even as some of the movement's chiefs vowed to intensify their struggle from underground.

Thaksin-aligned lawmaker Worawut Ua-apinyakul was quoted in the local press Thursday as saying that the protesters would unleash a "covert struggle."

Sondhi's PAD movement has been instrumental in toppling two Thaksin-aligned governments, most recently in late 2008 when his "yellow shirts" overran Bangkok's two international airports. One of the demands of the red shirts, in addition to the resignation of Abhisit, has been the prosecution of the ringleaders of the airport seizures. Sondhi and Thaksin are former business partners and, according to reports, onetime friends.

Thaksin, a billionaire telecom tycoon who is in hiding after being sentenced to jail on corruption charges, has given a spate of interviews in international media in recent days. He has called for a "people's revolution" to overthrow the Abhisit government and has also promised to return to Thailand.

According to a report Tuesday by analyst Shawn Crispin, "operatives had for the past two years funneled arms through Cambodia to Thaksin-aligned supporters in the country's northeastern provinces, where his grass-roots support runs strongest."

PAD has thus far remained silent in the escalating political crisis.

"As far as I know, at this time we won't move yet. The leaders have said we will move when it is the right time," said Pattama Deemee, a 48-year-old Bangkok business owner and PAD supporter. "In my opinion this is the beginning of underground activity meant to make us feel unsafe. This is a hard game for Abhisit and the Thai people. We will never know what will happen next."

McDermid and Kaewsangthong are special correspondents

Thai "yellow shirt" leader Sondhi shot, wounded [-His yellow shirt is turning red now?]

• "Yellow shirt" leader wounded in assassination attempt
• State of emergency still in place in Bangkok
• Stock market moves higher, baht stable

By Panarat Thepgumpanat

BANGKOK, April 17 (Reuters) - The founder of Thailand's "yellow shirt" protest movement, which was behind the week-long occupation of Bangkok's main airports late last year, was shot and wounded early on Friday, a spokesman for his movement said.

A doctor at Vajira Hospital in Bangkok told reporters that doctors were operating on Sondhi Limthongkul, who had a bullet in his head.

Thailand's capital is still under emergency rule and the cabinet was due to hold a special meeting on Friday to discuss the past week's political violence, as well as the budget and stimulus package for a country heading into recession.

Sondhi's People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) was not part of the latest political violence in Thailand, which involved the red-shirted supporters of Thaksin Shinawatra, a former prime minister ousted in a 2006 coup and now in self-imposed exile.

But their protests following a subsequent election dominated by Thaksin's allies undermined the government before the constitutional court effectively disbanded it.

The stock market and the baht were remarkably stable, as on Thursday when trade resumed after a three-day holiday for the Thai new year.

Stocks opened 0.5 percent higher, influenced by rises on overseas market, and continued higher. At 0310 GMT the index was up 1.39 percent.

The baht was only marginally lower on the day at 35.40/43 per dollar, but analysts said the latest violence in Thailand's political crisis would unnerve foreign investors.

"The market should be volatile and foreign investors are going to sell more," said Kosin Sripaiboon, head of research at UOB Kay Hian Securities before the stock market opened.

"The political scene remains fragile. The end of the protest over the long holidays is just a pause, it's not over. There are many issues that remain unresolved," he said.

Sondhi's car was attacked at a petrol station near the central bank at around 5 a.m. (2200 GMT on Thursday), a PAD spokesman told Reuters.

The PAD is an extra-parliamentary group of royalists, academics, former military people and Bangkok's middle classes united in their loathing of Thaksin, a former telecoms billionaire who draws his support from the rural poor. [ID:nSP395464]
Sondhi founded the PAD in 2005 after falling out with Thaksin, who used to be a business associate.

PAD spokesman Panthep Puapongpan said a driver and bodyguard were also in Sondhi's car. They were also wounded, the driver seriously.

He said the attack was carried out by two gunmen in a vehicle who shot out the tyres of Sondhi's car and then riddled it with bullets.

Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij said on Thursday the turmoil would mean bigger tax shortfalls than anticipated as private businesses delayed investment and the tourist sector faced even more losses.

"It's undeniable that the country has suffered in every dimension from what has happened," Korn said. "Some people now say the contraction this year may be as much as 5 percent compared with earlier expectations of 2.5-3.0 percent."

After a 6.1 percent contraction in the economy in the final quarter of 2008, Thailand is almost certainly experiencing its first recession since the Asian economic crisis 11 years ago.

Authorities have extended the three-day Thai new year holiday until the end of the week to help restore law and order and repair infrastructure damaged in the protests, especially at key road junctions.

Faced with overwhelming government force on Tuesday, the red-shirted protesters left Government House, but the underlying divide between a royalist elite and middle class elements of Thai society who oppose Thaksin and his rural backers remains.

"I would humbly urge his majesty (to) come and help heal this rift," Thaksin told Reuters in Dubai on Thursday, one of several countries he has spent time in since leaving Thailand last year. He has been found guilty on conflict of interest charges and faces jail if he returns to Thailand.

(Additional reporting by Vithoon Amorn, Viparat Jantraprap and Arada Therdthammakun ; Writing by Alan Raybould; Editing by David Fox)