Pad Leader Sondhi Limthongkul Shot

[LawnGnome]

My wife heard on the radio that Sondhi LImthongkul - the founder of the Manager Daily Newspaper, ASTV, and a core leader of the PAD - the People's Alliance for Democracy, was shot, along with his driver.Sondhi is in serious condition : doctor

Sondhi Limthongkul is in serious condition

BANGKOK: -- Sondhi Limthongkul is in serious condition after being shot as a bullet hit his left skull. The bullet is still in his skull, causing bleeding inside his brain, Vajira Hospital Director Dr Chaiwun Charoenchoktavee said Friday.

Doctors are conducting an urgent operation on Sondhi and the operation is expected to finish around noon.

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.

Meanwhile 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 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.

Meanwhile Chamnong Paokorn, 53, a bus driver, said that he was driving his bus past Iamworanut Temple when he saw a blue pickup truck which had no license plate blocked Sondhi's vehicle.

Then two men on the back of the pickup then opened fires on the vehicle. Then another vehicle sped to the scene and exchanged fires with the attackers who later escaped the scene.

-- The Nation 2009-04-17

[webfact]

Checked some Thai and English web sites here in TH. Nothing mentioned about (yet)

Lets hope it was only propaganda!

[monty]

Car from Sondhi Limthonkul attacked with gunfire by unknown number of men.

Sondhi is safe but his driver is in critical condition.

Bkk Post SMS breaking news service.

[Lite Beer]

Bangkok Post

[monty]

Sondhi of PAD survives shootings

By: BangkokPost.com

Published: 17/04/2009 at 07:51 AM

Car of Sondhi Limthongkul, a core leader of People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), was attacked early Friday around Bangkhumprom intersection, near the ASTV station.

Mr Sondhi sustained minor injuries, but his driver was in critical condition, according to Manager website.

Full Bangkok Post article

[LawnGnome]

Car from Sondhi Limthonkul attacked with gunfire by unknown number of men.

Sondhi is safe but his driver is in critical condition.

Bkk Post SMS breaking news service.

Could a Mod change the title to reflect that new information? TY

[Ricardo]

Manager Online has pictures of his car, with some of the windows blown out, and a cartridge-case.

[LawnGnome]

Sondhi of PAD survives shootings

By: BangkokPost.com

Published: 17/04/2009 at 07:51 AM

Car of Sondhi Limthongkul, a core leader of People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), was attacked early Friday around Bangkhumprom intersection, near the ASTV station.

Mr Sondhi sustained minor injuries, but his driver was in critical condition, according to Manager website.

Full Bangkok Post article

Thank Goodness he's still alive. I fear what public reaction would have been if it turned out differently. Thank you red shirts, for your continuing efforts to destroy our country...

[sheff_mick]

My wife heard on the radio that Sondhi LImthongkul - the founder of the Manager Daily Newspaper, ASTV, and a core leader of the PAD - the People's Alliance for Democracy, was shot, along with his driver.

No postings yet in the english dailies, but they are reporting it on the Manager Online. - http://www.manager.co.th/Politics/ViewNews...D=9520000043048

Wife reckons they fired over 100 rounds into his car, but he has survived but his driver got the worst of it all.

At 5 am this morning.

He made a statement only yesterday critcising Thaksin and his infamous outbursts and the red supporters.

They have proved they are just thugs and murders who are not interested in real democracy, nor the beloved Thailand and it,s citizens they claim to be representative of.

By the way my wife was informed by a red shirt neighbour who said they got to know at 4 am! yes 4am !! which was an hour before it happened, ( if the news report that backs up what i was told, is correct that,s just been on the TV news channel saying it was 5am ) it is an alarming admission of them knowing before the fact ???

[Lite Beer]

Car from Sondhi Limthonkul attacked with gunfire by unknown number of men.

Sondhi is safe but his driver is in critical condition.

Bkk Post SMS breaking news service.

Could a Mod change the title to reflect that new information? TY

Changed.

[webfact]

here a link for those of you who read Thai

http://www.thairath.co.th/onlineheadnews.html?id=133297

[webfact]

Yellow shirts' leader shot and wounded

Sondhi Limthongkul, a core leader of yellow shirt protest movement which seized Bangkok airports last year, is shot and injured early Friday morning.

Sondhi was riding on Samsen Road , on his way to his newspaper and television office in Banglampoo at about 5am when a group of men riding on a pickup opened fires on his vehicle.

The pickup then sped away along Tevet Road.

The bullets hit Sonthi's arm while his driver, Adul Daengpradub, was also injured. Both were rushed to a hospital nearby.

Police who rushed to the attack scene in front of Iamworanut Temple found Sondhi's car riddled with bullets. Police reportedly collected about 100 cartridges of AK-16 and rifles.

- THE NATION -

[simon43]

Well, this is not surprising news! Any realist can see that Thailand is sliding towards civil strife, pitting Thai against Thai.

I think my Mor Doo's prediction is coming true...

Next piece of news? Red Shirt leaders suddenly die whilst in police custody??

Simon

[dave111223]

He's got to have some kind of bulletproofing installed in the car to survive 100 rounds surely?

[PhilHarries]

Police who rushed to the attack scene in front of Iamworanut Temple found Sondhi's car riddled with bullets. Police reportedly collected about 100 cartridges of AK-16 and rifles.

- THE NATION -

AK-47 or M-16? Not that it makes much difference a bullet is a bullet especially if it has your name on it. Although it might point towards a source of the firearm.

Thailand : The Wild East.

As for supanova's comment it appears you are also part of the problem.

[mhatami]

100 rounds and they failed to kill?

Must be some amateur hitmen

When will you guys learn that the real leader was sleeping safely in his/her bedroom. These guys are just puppet and new person will appear if these one is gone

[Carmine6]

He's got to have some kind of bulletproofing installed in the car to survive 100 rounds surely?

2 moving vehicles. Non-pro shooters. Could just be a lot of misses.

[Mario2008]

Topic tiltle edited.

[Loaded]

Now that he's of no further use, the power behind Abhisit may want to tidy up things. I wouldn't automatically assume Thaksin is behind this.

[yumidesign]

100 rounds and they failed to kill?

Must be some amateur hitmen

not too amateurish if the driver is in a critical condition

but yep welcome to the Wild West of BKK joining most of the rest of the world which seems to be in hate mode......

bring back flower power!

[webfact]

Well, I guess every soldier/weapon expert can confirm you will be certainly dead after receiving a 100 round shower from an AK-47...

Could that incident have been stage-managed? Not uncommon here in Thailand. I remember some cases with the dear leader involved years ago...

[yumidesign]

Now that he's of no further use, the power behind Abhisit may want to tidy up things. I wouldn't automatically assume Thaksin is behind this.

OH PLEASE COME BACK AND JOIN US ON PLANET EARTH

[Scott]

I hope the driver makes a full and speedy recovery. I don't care for Sonthi, but I do not wish for anything bad to happen to him, either.

I have a feeling this is just the beginning of a protracted problem for the country.

[LawnGnome]

Perhaps Thailand is just trying to catch up with the US, in terms of insane gun violence.

[nickynomates]

It looking a little closer to civil war.

Army still on the streets, Sondhi shot, rumor mill working overtime on Red shirts killed during the demonstrations with missing taxi drivers.

Spare a thought for the DHL pick up guy he has to wear a uniform half yellow half red.

[Supernova]

Well, this is not surprising news! Any realist can see that Thailand is sliding towards civil strife, pitting Thai against Thai.

I think my Mor Doo's prediction is coming true...

Well, a prediction has already been made by one of the more renowned mor doo's around town. The prediction states that sometime around April 20th or shortly thereafter, there will be major changes in the government or ruling body. True or false, we shall see...

[angiud]

This is exactly the ratcheting up of instability that I was hoping for - the Thai Baht must now surely begin to decline as foreign investors get cold feet. Let´s get back to 60b = 1 UK pound... sooner rather than later. Coup now please...

Better you write about football and the beer you can buy with your weak pound.

[gregb]

Thank Goodness he's still alive. I fear what public reaction would have been if it turned out differently. Thank you red shirts, for your continuing efforts to destroy our country...

It's hard to imagine there is going to be a huge outpouring of sympathy from the Thai people over Sonthi, but the fact is his misdeeds happened what seem like a lifetime ago to most people in the current political climate. So while there won't necessarily be mourning for Sonthi himself, there will be a desire to "get back at those red bastards" from the average person. This attack will not be considered justified. The miscreants who perpetrated this just did a very dangerous disservice to the Thai people.

This marks a very unwanted escalation in the fighting. While Thaksin was clearly not the man directly behind the trigger, he bears at the very least moral responsibility for allowing this to happen. If the man has any conscience at all, he will talk to his supporters and vehemently denounce this attack, and request they refrain from any more such atrocities.

After all, if they start going after the masterminds, his own life could be seriously at risk. Denouncing this act would be in his own self interest. Let's see if there is a response from him.

[Carib]

This is exactly the ratcheting up of instability that I was hoping for - the Thai Baht must now surely begin to decline as foreign investors get cold feet. Let´s get back to 60b = 1 UK pound... sooner rather than later. Coup now please...

By all means, lets kill people so you can enjoy a declining baht. What a sorry ass you are.

[alanmorison]

Anxiety about the weekend PAD concert on Phuket intensified today with the shooting of yellow-shirt leader Sondhi Limthongkul, who was due to paly a key role.

A group of men in a pickup opened fire, spraying the vehicle with bullets, as Khun Sondhi, the best known leader of the yellow shirts, made his way to his newspaper and television office in Bangkok about 5am this morning.

Organiser's of Saturday's concert in Phuket City said security would be dramatically increased. Khun Sondhi's wounds put him in hospital, along with his driver.

Details at: http://phuketwan.com/tourism/timely-pad-ph...000-sell-10999/