‘No politics’: Prayut gives Thai media the silent treatment as popularity sinks

Gen Prayut has managed to avoid answering most questions on political affairs posed by the media. He hinted earlier that he would be passing such queries to his spokespersons team.

Confronted by the media on hot political issues, the prime minister now either gives brief answers, simply shuns the questions, or just walks away.

On other occasions, he has offered excuses such as a stomach ache or other emergencies as reasons for not answering reporters’ questions.

Typical was his response on October 4 when questioned about his political future: “I haven’t thought about that. Let me focus on tackling floods now.”

Prayut has been asked whether he will reshuffle the Cabinet at least three times since the Constitutional Court ruling. His answers were: “Nothing about that now”, “No, no”, and “I haven’t done anything about it”.

On October 26, Prayut was asked to comment on speculation that he and Deputy Premier Prawit Wongsuwan will be PM candidates for the ruling Palang Pracharath Party at the general election, tentatively scheduled for May 7. “I don’t talk politics,” came the curt reply.

Asked on the same day if he was planning to become a member of the ruling party, Prayut said: “Whenever that happens.”

Recent opinion surveys show Palang Pracharath and Prayut are lagging far behind the main opposition Pheu Thai Party and its prospective candidate for PM, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the youngest daughter of ousted former PM Thaksin Shinawatra.

The Constitutional Court ruled on September 30 that Gen Prayut had not exceeded his maximum eight years in office. Judges ruled that his tenure should be counted from when the Constitution was enacted in April 2017, and not August 2014 when he became prime minister following the military coup he led three months earlier.