http://www.asiantribune.com/news/2010/05/14/thai-general-who-supports-red-shirts-shot
Thai general who supports Red Shirts shot Fri, 2010-05-14 00:13 - editor a.. Breaking News >From R. Vasudevan - Reporting from New Delhi New Delhi, 14 May (Asiantribune.com): Major-General Khattiya SawasdipolA renegade Thai general who supports the "Red Shirt" opposition protest movement has been shot and seriously wounded, according to a nurse at the hospital where he was admitted, reports from Bangkok said on Thursday. Major-General Khattiya Sawasdipol, better known by his nickname "Seh Daeng," was shot in the chest and in a "very serious condition," said the nurse at Hua Chiew Hospital. The circumstances of the reported shooting were unclear but gunshots were heard earlier in the evening close to the protest site, which the security authorities have threatened to seal off. The fiery general, accused by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva of trying to prevent an end to the two-month street demonstrations, has made no secret of encouraging the "Red Shirt" protesters to oppose a reconciliation deal. "It's important that I'm here. Everyone is here because Seh Daeng is here," he told a news agency earlier in the day during an interview within the protest site. The violence came after Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva shelved a plan for November elections and hopes faded for an imminent resolution to a crippling two-month crisis that has sparked outbreaks of violence, leaving 29 people dead and 1,000 injured. "I have cancelled the election date... because protesters refuse to disperse," Abhisit said earlier. "I have told security officials to restore normality as soon as possible." An army spokesman said earlier that troops would surround the rally site in the heart of Bangkok with armoured vehicles and that demonstrators would be allowed to leave but not enter the area. Large crowds of Red Shirts, including some elderly, women and children, had remained Thursday in the protest site, which has been fortified with barricades made from razor wire, fuel-soaked tyres and sharpened bamboo spears. Some foreign embassies in the area closed early due to the threatened lockdown, with the US, British, and Dutch embassies suspending visa services. - Asian Tribune - [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
