Sitting on a traffic island near Thailand's Supreme Court, a bronzed farmer from Kamphaeng Phet province stabbed his finger in the air as he described his admiration for former Thai premier Yingluck Shinawatra.

Yingluck Shinawatra’s supporters seemed split 50:50 on Friday over whether to believe that she was indeed seriously ill as claimed by the court, given the lack of a medical certificate, but many felt it was probably best for her to stay away for now, considering what they considered to be the politically biased legal treatment she has received so far.