A lady-in-waiting to Thailand’s Queen Sirikit denies having any knowledge of an assassination attempt on a protest leader. 
Thanpuying Viriya Chavakul told INN television that she knew nothing of the plot that took place on April 17 against Sondhi Limthongkul.
‘The thought of having Mr Sondhi killed never crossed my mind,’ said Viriya, who admitted to having ties to the military top brass through her charity work.
“I’m glad she denied it,” Sondhi said. He added that he expected the police to reveal the chief suspects in the assassination bid by the end of the month.
Sondhi originally planned to hold a “tell-all” press conference on Friday about the attempt he survived with minor injuries, but then decided against it.
In previous interviews, Sondhi said a “certain lady close to the palace was one party among many who ‘chipped in’ to have him killed,” the Bangkok Post reported.
Sondhi is the leader of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD, a coalition of groups who are against coup-ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra’s return to power.
The group held protests in the streets for six months last year, and at one point those protests closed off two airports in Thailand.
In the past, Sondhi gave speeches hinting that he had the approval of Queen Sirikit, something that might have angered the Thai military. This might have led to his assassination attempt.
“The attempt on my life happened because they see me as the biggest obstacle to their scheme,” Sondhi told The Nation.
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