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Thai 'yellow shirt' leader shot Thai 'yellow shirt' leader shot
(about 3 hours later)
The leader of a Thai protest movement which brought down former PM Thaksin Shinawatra has been shot and injured. The leader of Thailand's yellow-shirted protest movement has been shot and hurt in an apparent assassination attempt.
Sondhi Limthongkul's yellow-shirted People's Alliance of Democracy (PAD) led the demonstrations in 2006. Sondhi Limthongkul's People's Alliance for Democracy helped oust ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra in 2006 and brought down a pro-Thaksin government last year.
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. Mr Sondhi was ambushed by gunmen who attacked his car in the Thai capital, Bangkok, spraying it with bullets and hitting him in the skull.
He has now had an operation and his life is out of danger, a hospital director said. Doctors said he was in a stable condition following surgery.
Red-shirted supporters of Mr Thaksin, who is now in self-imposed exile in Dubai, have held their own protests in recent weeks. Mr Sondhi's driver was said to be in a serious condition, while an aide suffered minor injuries.
They want the current Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to step down, and fresh elections to be held. We have to make sure peace and order truly returns Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva class="" href="/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7998243.stm">No winners in Thai crisis class="" href="/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7584005.stm">Q&A: Thailand protests
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
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," said local police commander Colonel King Kwaengwisatchaicharn, adding that an investigation was under way.
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. The BBC's Alastair Leithead in Bangkok says it is not known who is responsible, but Mr Sondhi has many enemies in the reds, the police, the army and the current government.
The attack will increase tension between reds and yellows and lead to greater factionalism in an already deeply divided country, our correspondent says.
Angry protesters
In the wake of the attack, security was increased around the current Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, who is working out of an undisclosed location because of fears for his safety.
Mr Vejjajiva said a state of emergency imposed on Sunday in Bangkok would remain in place. "We have to make sure peace and order truly returns," he said.
Sondhi Limthongkul opposed former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra
Red-shirted supporters of Mr Thaksin, who is now in self-imposed exile in Dubai, have held protests in recent weeks.
The largely peaceful demonstrations that paralysed parts of Bangkok turned violent earlier this week; two people died and more than 100 others were injured.
Protest leaders called off the action amid a major military crackdown to quell the riots.
The red shirts took to the streets demanding that Prime Minister Abhisit step down, and fresh elections to be held.
They say that he was illegally installed by parliament in December after courts ousted the government led by Mr Thaksin's allies, and dissolved their parties.
The red shirts have expressed anger over the detention of several protest leaders in recent days, while Mr Sondhi and his allies were never prosecuted for their political action.
Last year, the yellow shirts occupied Government House for three months and seized Bangkok's two airports for a week, stranding hundreds of thousands of travellers.
Meanwhile, Mr Thaksin - who has been calling for a popular uprising against the government - has appealed to the widely-revered Thai king, Bhumibol Adulyadej, to intervene to end the country's political crisis.
Thailand annulled Mr Thaksin's passport after his supporters forced the cancellation of a high-profile Asian summit last weekend.
Mr Thaksin faces two years in jail if he returns to Thailand, after being sentenced in absentia for abuses of power when he was in office.