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Thai 'yellow shirt' leader shot | Thai 'yellow shirt' leader shot |
(about 2 hours later) | |
The leader of a Thai protest movement which brought down former PM Thaksin Shinawatra has been shot and injured. | |
Sondhi Limthongkul's yellow-shirted People's Alliance of Democracy (PAD) led the demonstrations in 2006. | |
Mr Sondhi was ambushed by gunmen who attacked his car in the Thai capital, Bangkok, spraying it with bullets and hitting Mr Sondhi in the shoulder. | |
He has now had an operation and his life is out of danger, a hospital director said. | |
Red-shirted supporters of Mr Thaksin, who is now in self-imposed exile in Dubai, have held their own protests in recent weeks. | |
They want the current Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to step down, and fresh elections to be held. | They want the current Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to step down, and fresh elections to be held. |
Mr Thaksin has appealed to the widely-revered Thai king, Bhumipol Adulyadej, to intervene to end the country's political crisis. | |
Sondhi Limthongkul opposed former PM Thaksin | Sondhi Limthongkul opposed former PM Thaksin |
Thailand annulled Mr Thaksin's passport after his supporters forced the cancellation of a high-profile Asian summit last weekend, and were involved in clashes with security forces in Bangkok on Monday. | |
The attack on Mr Sondhi came at dawn on Friday, as he was travelling to record a programme at his television station. | The attack on Mr Sondhi came at dawn on Friday, as he was travelling to record a programme at his television station. |
"At least two attackers followed Sondhi's car, overtook it and sprayed it with about 100 rounds of gunfire from AK-47 and M-16s. [Sondhi] was injured in the shoulder but is out of danger now," said local police commander Colonel King Kwaengwisatchaicharn. | "At least two attackers followed Sondhi's car, overtook it and sprayed it with about 100 rounds of gunfire from AK-47 and M-16s. [Sondhi] was injured in the shoulder but is out of danger now," said local police commander Colonel King Kwaengwisatchaicharn. |
The fear is that this attack could bring the yellow shirts out onto the streets again and spark factional violence with Mr Thaksin's red-shirted supporters, says the BBC's Alastair Leithead. |