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Thai protest chief gets prison for financial crime

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Reported by: AP/UNBconnect
Reported on: Feb 28, 2012 07:37 pm
Reported in: International
BANGKOK, Feb 28 (AP/UNB) - A protest leader whose movement helped topple three Thai prime ministers has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for falsifying financial documents.

Sondhi Limthongkul was found guilty Tuesday in connection with submitting documents for his Manager Media Group to secure a 1 billion baht ($32 million) loan in 1997 from a state bank.

He was released on bail.

Sondhi founded a movement in 2005 to topple then-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Its protests set the stage for a 2006 coup that deposed Thaksin. Later protests added to pressure that saw two pro-Thaksin prime ministers forced from office by court rulings.

His People's Alliance for Democracy is also known as the Yellow Shirts. They are ideological rivals to the Red Shirt movement largely supporting Thaksin.