Thai yellow shirt protestors' chief shot and wounded
Updated
The Thai government has moved to tighten security around prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva after an unsuccessful assasination attempt on the founder of the yellow shirt protest movement.
Media Mogul Sondhi Limthongkul founded the People's Alliance for Democracy or PAD and was responsible for organising the protests that led to the removal of two previous governments. Unknown assailants attacked Mr Sondhi in his car as he was on his way to work at his Asia Satellite television station ASTV.
Presenter: Kanaha Sabapathy
Speakers: Parnthep Pourpongpan, spokesman for the PAD
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PARNTHEP POURPONGPAN: The way that a group of people try to shoot and try to kill Mr Sondhi, is a group of people that are involved with the politics in Thailand. Definitely. Because Mr Sondhi works with the ASTV, which is satellite television that investigate and try to show the people what's going on with the PAD for 193 days that we have rally, and we can say that he is a target. And I can say that hundred bullets has come from M16 and also AK machine gun and also other gun. We can say that he's lucky he's still alive. This group of people tried to kill him because they don't want ASTV to investigate and to show the people the truth and they cannot accept movement of PAD, because they don't like the movement of PAD because I think that the group of people who involved with the politics try to eliminate us.
KANAHA SABAPATHY: Could it not have also been possibly something to do with business dealings?
PARNTHEP POURPONGPAN: No, no, that's impossible because his business is now non-profit organisation already. Every day people donate to ASTV so he never want to fight with the businessman for the concession. The people donate the money for expenditure in the company. So, I don't think that will have any conflict for the business at all.
KANAHA SABAPATHY: Is PAD going to do anything about this then, about this incident?
PARNTHEP POURPONGPAN: We request the government try to investigate what's going on. Now, in Thailand, we need the government try to solve the problem in terms of security of the nation. How can some group of people bring the heavy weapon to kill anyone in the city? That impossible. And I think that we need responsibility from the government to investigate and to bring whoever that involved in this case to punish them. And also we need to reform the policemen's organisation and also the military. I think that is the key to success.
