Rogue Thai General Shot During Interview

A renegade Thai general was shot in the head while giving an interview to a New York Times reporter today, in the midst of a large protest in Bangkok. Gen. Khattiya Sawatdiphol, better known as Seh Daeng, was inside a barricaded encampment of anti-government Red Shirt protesters, which the military was preparing to encircle. An aide tells the AP the shot came from a sniper; several Thai media outlets say he was taken to the hospital.

Daeng is a controversial figure in Thailand. He's been running a paramilitary force of former Rangers, and has been described by Thailand's prime minister as a “terrorist.” Asked Sunday if he was responsible for any of the recent bombings or killings that have shook Bangkok, he cried, “I deny!” Then laughed and added, “No one ever saw me.” (More Red Shirt (Thailand) stories.)