I'm not afraid of dying. They've marked my head. If I'm afraid, who will lead the red shirts?" army specialist Khattiya Sawasdipol told the Bangkok Post in a telephone interview yesterday.
Maj Gen Khattiya sits down for a meal in Siam Square about three hours before he was shot in the head and left in critical condition near Sala Daeng intersection last night. KITJA APHICHONROJAREK
Later in the day, about 7.30pm, Maj Gen Khattiya, better known as Seh Daeng, was shot in the head near the Sala Daeng red shirt rally site. He was inspecting security barriers and giving an interview to a group of foreign reporters at the time.
''All I have on me is a small pistol and a stick ... If anyone comes to arrest me, I can assure you I'll shoot and fight to the end ... Soldiers are on to me. There are snipers out there. But they'll never get me,'' Maj Gen Khattiya said.
He insisted he would not remove his soldier's uniform even though it made him a target.
''I'm a [red shirt security] commander-in-chief, I can't fear anything,'' Maj Gen Khattiya, 59, said.
He said he would not put on protective clothing.
''Such dress would make me feel like one who fears death, and would prevent me from leading others who do not have protective clothing.''
Maj Gen Khattiya had seemed to be the only soldier in the country who could walk into the red shirt rally site wearing a military uniform.
Every evening, he would visit the rally site, particularly the Sala Daeng barricade, wearing his uniform and a cloth hat to inspect security.
The routine put him at risk, said an observer.
Earlier, Maj Gen Khattiya insisted he would not give up on the red shirt rally and would replace the current leaders.
Maj Gen Khattiya, a supporter of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, had been branded a terrorist by the government following the April 10 bloody clash, which resulted in 25 deaths.
He led former paramilitary rangers to serve as guards at the red shirt rally.
Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon had recommended that Maj Gen Khattiya be dismissed from duty.
Gen Prawit signed Maj Gen Khattiya's dismissal papers last Sunday and had forwarded the documents to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.
The prime minister would then have to leave the decision with His Majesty the King, however it was unclear whether Mr Abhisit had forwarded the papers.
Observers said the attack on Maj Gen Khattiya could lead to the red rally ending soon. ''It's a clear attempt to decapitate the red shirt military leadership,'' said Anthony Davis, a security consultant with IHS-Jane's. ''It's a smart tactical move that will cause confusion in the red shirts' military ranks and send a message to the leadership that if they don't want to negotiate and come out, they can expect extreme consequences,'' he told Reuters.
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