THAILAND REMAINED locked in political turmoil yesterday after Sondhi Limthongkul, the founder of the “yellow shirt” protest movement that shut down Bangkok airports last year, was shot and wounded in an assassination attempt, just days after troops cracked down on rioting protesters from the rival, anti-government “red shirt” group.
Mr Sondhi was operated on successfully to remove a bullet from his head at the Vajira Hospital and his life was not in danger, doctors said.
It is the latest sign of a deepening political crisis in this southeast Asian country. The government responded to news of the attack on Mr Sondhi by tightening security around prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and a state of emergency in Bangkok remained in place. Mr Abhisit’s car was attacked twice by anti-government protesters last week, although police said the attack on Mr Sondhi bore the hallmarks of a professional job.
Mr Sondhi, a media mogul who owns the pro-government TV channel ASTV, was once a staunch supporter of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra but he became his toughest critic.
He was being driven to work before dawn when two men in a pick-up truck armed with an M-16 and an AK-47 riddled his car with bullets, said Bangkok police spokesman Suporn Pansua. The driver of the car was seriously wounded and an aide travelling in the car also was wounded, he said.
The latest round of protests in Thailand involved red-shirted supporters of Mr Thaksin, who say Mr Abhisit has no popular mandate to rule. The red-shirts, who largely come from rural areas, rioted in Bangkok earlier this week but called off the protests on Tuesday after the army stepped up efforts to clear them. Mr Thaksin is in exile after fleeing following his conviction on corruption charges.
The red shirts were angry after several of their leaders were arrested after the protests in the past week, while Mr Sondhi and his allies in the People’s Alliance for Democracy were never prosecuted over last year’s airport seizures. Mr Sondhi’s supporters come mainly from the middle-class and educated elite of Thai society, and include monarchists, academics and old soldiers.
The Thai government met for a special cabinet meeting yesterday to discuss the recent turmoil and measures to boost Thailand’s economy, which is struggling after months of instability. Mr Abhisit said the cabinet had decided to leave a state of emergency in place until the government could be sure “peace and order truly returns.