Khattiya Sawasdipol — the rogue army general and red shirt leader better known as “Seh Daeng” — was shot in the head here in Bangkok last night. It’s unclear who is responsible for the shooting. He is in the hospital and is in critical condition.
Seh Daeng, whose nickname means “Commander Red,” is sympathetic to the red shirts and has been quite visible at the protest site, particularly near the bamboo barricade in Silom.
He has made provocative statements in the past, threatening violence against various figures and even recently falling out with and being marginalized by fellow red shirt leaders.
Tom Fuller of the IHT/NYT was interviewing Seh Daeng at the time the general was shot. Here’s the story. And here’s an accompanying photo gallery.
As you’ll recall, the government announced on Wed. that army forces would move to seal off the protest site at 6 p.m. yesterday. Authorities said that they would shut off power supplies, water, mobile phone service, and public transport at this time.
I was at Rajaprasong — where the main stage is set up — and toured Phetburi Rd., soi Chidlom, Sarasin Rd., and Silom between roughly 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. No army troops were visible then. (I posted a series of Tweets, and a few images, in real time last night.)
But soon Seh Daeng would be shot in Lumphini Park, on the southern edge of the protest site. And there further clashes broke out throughout the evening.
Afterwards, I made my back up to Rajaprasong, and although the power had been cut, the red shirt protests continued, thanks to electricity from generators.
For photos from the evening, check out Austin’s post, which includes an image of Seh Daeng not long before he was shot.
And for the latest info, here’s an AP story from today. And here’s a story from BBC News.
As ever, stay tuned. It seems likely that there will be additional clashes.