BANGKOK – Foreign journalists in Thailand are grimly reconciling to the fact that Sondhi Limthongkul has not only survived an attempt on his life but will also be out of the hospital and resuming his normal activities within days.
At Vajira Hospital, where Sondhi is being treated, the journalists’ mood went from giddy anticipation to despair after the head of the hospital announced that “Sondhi is fine.”
“Jesus no, they missed!” shouted one cameraman, an audible groan filling the room. Hushed whispers followed as the journalists, many of whom had at one time worked in Sondhi’s employ, tried to regain their composure.
Once called the “Asian Rupert Murdoch,” Sondhi has presided over the startup of a number of doomed English-language news publications, including Asia Inc, a Hong Kong-based monthly; Asia Times, a daily newspaper; Thai Day, a daily supplement to the International Herald Tribune; and even a lifestyle magazine in Los Angeles called Buzz. All ventures recruited foreign journalists heavily, and all eventually went belly-up.
After waiting several agonizing hours to hear of the media mogul’s fate, many of the international correspondents on hand could not disguise their despair.
“They had their best chance in years and they fucking blew it,” said one anguished correspondent to another.
“At least I still have the computer I stole from the Asia Times’ office when he fired us without compensation in 1997,” said another.
Reporters peppered doctors with enquiries about Sondhi’s chances of making a full recovery.
“I mean, is it possible doctor, that in a few days time, there could be some sort of after-effect, say relapse, which could lead to permanent brain damage?” one journalist repeatedly queried. Told several times that it was “extremely unlikely,” the journalist said, “So it is not entirely out of the realm of possibility then? Right? You are not ruling it out?”
When another correspondent pressed for Sondhi’s hospital room number, the doctor responded, “Hey come on, take it easy. That’s private.”
Finally resigning themselves to the news, several journalists huddled and consoled each other. Sharing notes, they half-heartedly struggled to recast their graphic articles about Sondhi’s demise into stories of his miraculous survival.
“I had waited years to write that other story but I guess I will just have to keep it in the bag,” said one wire reporter still owed money by Sondhi. “God, that’ll be the day.”
