BANGKOK, Sept 10 (TNA) – Sondhi Limthongkul, founder of Manager newspaper and leader of the Peoples’ Alliance for Democracy (PAD), the yellow-shirted group that gained international notoriety last year for closing Bangkok’s two commercial airports, was sentenced to two years in prison Thursday after the Criminal Court found him guilty of making libelous statements against former deputy prime minister and finance minister Pridiyathorn Devakula.

The court refused to suspend the sentence as Mr Sondhi had earlier been found guilty on similar charges.

Mr Pridiyathorn filed charges against Mr Sondhi after the media tycoon spoke on his Thailand Weekly talk show on January 12, 2007 accusing the former finance minister with protecting former Revenue Department Director-General Siroj Sawadipanich, who was dismissed for issuing a letter to the ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra, while he still held office, that the prime minister’s family was not liable for taxes in the Shin Corp share sell-off to Singapore’s Temasek Holdings.

(MCOT)