On Friday April 17th Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva issued a state of emergency and said he "would hold an investigation on the assassination attempt of a prominent protest leader Sondhi," as the political crises continues.
It is unlikely that Thailand will be returning to normal, in Bangkok and the surrounding areas, any time soon. The street battles that left two dead on Monday and 100 or more wounded only continues to escalate. Early this morning media mogul, Sondhi Limthongkul, founder of the movement that toppled the previous government, known as the People’s Alliance for Democracy, or PAD, was attacked. According to local witnesses, an unidentified truck began shooting Sondhi’s vehicle with automatic weapons around 5 a.m when Sondhi was heading to work. With more than 100 bullets shot at his car, Sondhi escaped alive with a shot at his shoulder and one bullet surgically removed from his skull.
The week of violent protest of the “red shirts,” supporters of formers Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra Battlefield ended when the remaining 3,000 surrendered to the government on Tuesday morning. For now the “yellow shirts,” PAD supporters have remained silent. "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." Sondhi's PAD movement has been instrumental in toppling two Thaksin-aligned governments, most recently in late 2008. Oddly, 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 the Los Angels Times world report.
By Lisa Schaffer
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