BANGKOK – Former anti-Thaksin leader Sondhi Limthongkul sent an email to People’s Democratic Reform Council secretary general Suthep Thaugsuban this morning, strongly recommending that he buy himself a bulletproof vehicle that could “withstand M-16 rounds fired at close range.”
The letter, a copy of which was obtained by Not The Nation, expressed general support for Suthep’s work, which Sondhi referred to as “a continuation of my own great efforts to fight the scourge of Thaksinism in the Kingdom,” but warned that Suthep’s allies might be “more capricious that you’d ever expect” and “positively vengeful” over perceived slights.
Furthermore, Sondhi suggested that Suthep “might be riding high now as the darling of the protest media,” but insisted that once events changed, Suthep might “outlive your usefulness and be discarded like an old newspaper.”
Referring to “those players that you and I cannot name, but are all too familiar with,” the owner of the ASTV and Manager Magazine media empire reminded Suthep to not forget “what happened to (former Foreign Minister) Kasit (Piromya) and most of all never forget what happened in April 2009,” likely referring to the assassination attempt on Sondhi’s life that was never solved.
Oddly enough, Sondhi’s letter never once suggested that Thaksin Shinawatra was behind the assassination attempt on his life, despite having been the most prominent and passionate member of the People’s Alliance for Democracy, which supported the coup that ousted Thaksin in 2006, and which further led the shutdown of Bangkok’s airports in 2008 that led to a judicial coup against Thaksin’s nominee prime ministers.
In closing, Sondhi expressed regrets for some of his own actions in handling the aftermath of the 2008 events, saying “I made the mistake of thinking I mattered, that I would be remembered for my sacrifice. And then I started barking, and was treated like a problem dog.”
“Just remember, the hand that feeds you is the one that beats you with a stick,” Sondhi continued,” possibly referring to the high-placed person whose support was necessary to permit unarmed people to occupy an international airport with no interference from police or the military.
Sondhi’s final advice to Suthep read “It’s best that men like you and me learn when to stop talking. But since I know you can’t possibly do that, you really should get the bulletproof car. Trust me on this.”
