Thais brace for recession as crisis drags on

Thai pro-government Red Shirt protesters hold placards showing pictures of caretaker Thai Premier Yingluck Shinawatra and her brother, fugitive former Prime Minister Thaksin, during a rally on the outskirts of Bangkok, Thailand, on April 6, 2014. The intractable political crisis in Thailand sees no signs of a resolution any time soon - EPA Photo.

BANGKOK: The golden Buddha statues, amulets and lucky charms that festoon Sakuntala Mettawong's tiny Bangkok cellphone shop are not helping business. It's peak time, but customers are scarce at the usually bustling mobile phone bazaar in the MBK Center.

"Business has been very bad. Many shops have left here, some moved to find cheaper spots or changed hands," said Sakuntala, almost drowned out by the noise of bored shop owners playing computer games behind her.