Coup-prone Thailand looks to army chief to break deadlock

General Prayuth Chan-ocha, chief of the Royal Thai Army, inspects a parade on Armed Forces Day at the Thai Army 11th Infantry Regiment in Bangkok January 18, 2011. REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Standing inside one of Bangkok's many military bases is a giant poster of Thai army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha in full dress uniform, along with a list of attributes. "Intelligent," reads the poster. "Knowledgeable. Modern. Visionary."

As Bangkok braces for a "shut down" by anti-government protesters on Monday, and rumours multiply that yet another military coup is imminent, another adjective for General Prayuth springs to mind: opaque.