Two men in pickup fired at Sondhi : witness

The unidentified witness said the gunmen were not hooded, and that one was tall with a crew cut, while the other was shorter and bulkier. The witness said Sondhi walked out of his van after the gunmen had fled and helped his driver, who was seriously injured, out of the vehicle. Pedestrians later came to their rescue and took them both to hospital.

A statement from Chulalongkorn Hospital, where Sondhi and his two aides are being treated, said yesterday that the PAD leader was recuperating well and that his gunshot wound was healing. Sondhi's driver, Adul Daengpradab, is also doing well and has regained full consciousness

Meanwhile, Pol General Thanee Somboonsab, the investigator charged with solving the case, admitted that police had no first-hand evidence about the murder attempt and were relying mainly on intelligence reports linking people likely to benefit from Sondhi's death.

"We don't know whether the masterminds are connected to the men in uniform, and if they are also behind the grenade attack on the Constitution Court," he added.

In a related development, Sondhi's son, Jittanart, blasted Channel 11 for citing unconfirmed reports that the fourth passenger in the van was a woman and suggesting she may be romantically linked to Sondhi, who is married.

Speaking on ASTV, a cable channel founded by his father, Jittanart repeated his theory that certain groups of officials may have been involved in the murder attempt.

Jittanart had earlier linked a politician, said to have been behind the blue shirts, as being involved in the attack, prompting the spokesman of Bhum Jai Thai Party, led by Newin Chidchob, to hold a press conference about the matter.

Meanwhile, People's Alliance for Democracy member Weera Somkwamkid quoted Sondhi as saying yesterday that while his life was hanging by a thread, his thoughts immediately went to His Majesty the King.

Weera said Sondhi recounted the attack as happening very quickly, but that it was still very clear in his mind. He also dismissed reports of ducking under the driver's seat to escape the hail of bullets.

"He was only thinking about His Majesty during the ambush," Weera said, adding that Sondhi may be discharged from hospital in the next day or two. This is the first time that Sondhi has spoken since the gangland-style shooting.