ARMY AMMO USED IN ATTACK AGAINST THAI MEDIA TYCOON

BANGKOK, April 23 (Bernama) -- Army ammunition was used in the attempted murder on media tycoon Sondhi Limthongkul last week, Army Chief General Anupong Paojinda said Thursday.

Anupong told the local media that the cartridges from M-16 found at the
shooting scene are the same as those used by the 9th Infantry Division, which is
under the supervision of the First Army region.

However, it would be difficult to pinpoint from which army unit the
ammunition came from, he said, adding that investigation was currently underway.

Local media had reported that the cartridges had the initials of the Royal
Thai Army and serial numbers that showed they had been distributed to the First
Army region.

Sondhi Limthongkul, who led street protests that led to the ouster of three
Thai prime ministers in less than three years, as well as the closure of two
Bangkok airports, was injured in an assassination attempt last Friday.

The incident happened about 5am when Sondhi's car was ambushed by unknown
men who fired from automatic weapons, injuring the tycoon and his driver.

The attempted murder came days after rioting in the capital where thousands
of red-shirted supporters of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra battled soldiers
in a bid to force Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to resign and forced the
cancellation of the Asean+6 Summit in Pattaya.

Sondhi's son had claimed that a banned politician, who used to be close to
Thaksin but was now supporting Abhisit's government, was behind the murder
attempt.
-- BERNAMA