Play dead for now, says Thaksin

UDON THANI: From self-imposed exile, the influential leader of Thailand’s rural “red shirt” opposition movement has delivered a simple message to followers chafing at the military junta’s iron rule: lay low for now, don’t panic, “play dead”.

Billionaire former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, long-time political leader of the north’s disenfranchised electorate, is watching events at home closely and urging patience from those who want to see his allies return to power.