SONDHI GETS SIX MONTHS FOR LIBEL

       Sondhi Limthongkul, a leader of the yellow-shirt movement, suffered another legal blow yesterday when the Criminal Court sentenced him to six months in jail in a libel suit filed by former foreign minister Noppadon Patama.
       It was the third conviction for the outspoken media mogul in less than a month.
       Sondhi, co-leader of the People's Alliance for Democracy, was found guilty of defaming Noppadon when he accused the former foreign minister of betraying the royal family by working as lawyer for former premier Thaksin Shinawatra.
       The court ruled that Sondhi's remark against Noppadon - recipient of a royally-sponsored scholarship - that he was even less grateful than His Majesty the King's dog, Khun Tongdaeng, was defamatory.
       "The plaintiff has his basic rights to work as a lawyer for any person," said the ruling.
       The court also ordered Sondhi's companies Thai Day Dot Com and Manager Media Group to pay a fine of Bt20,000 each for broadcasting his libellous remarks and distributing CDs containing video files of the programme containing the remarks.
       Sondhi was released on a bail of Bt100,000. He had appealed the two previous libel cases that he lost early last month.
       An appeals court last month reduced to six months the two-year jail term that Sondhi was given by a lower court in March 2008 for defaming former deputy transport minister Phumtham Wechayachai. The Criminal Court also sentenced Sondhi to two years in jail for defaming former central bank governor MR Pridiyathorn Devakula.
       On hearing the sentence, Noppadon said he was "glad I received justice," the Agence France-Presse reported. "From now on, Sondhi must realise that he cannot go on making false claims against anyone in this country without being punished," he said.
       Sondhi yesterday said he would accept leadership of the PAD's New Politics Party if the group's followers support him to take the post. "I am ready to do the job," he said.
       The party, which now has Somsak Kosaisuk as its acting leader, is expected to hold a general meeting on Tuesday.