Thailand’s Prayuth Chan-ocha: the military man with staying power

The former general, whose time in power has seen Thailand grow closer to China, is on the cusp of becoming one of the longest-serving Thai leaders in history

His second stint as prime minister is expected to herald stronger ties with China but other countries are also expected to re-engage with Thailand

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Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha. Photo: EPA

Published: 7:31pm, 6 Jun 2019Updated: 1:09am, 7 Jun 2019

Many Thais laughed when leader Prayuth Chan-ocha told them to pick up George Orwell’s 1945 satire of the Stalin regime Animal Farm for an entertaining read a week before the parliament voted to confirm his second term in the job since taking power in a 2014 military coup.

But it was hardly the first time he has been laughed at, despite being Thailand’s most powerful military man. The 65-year-old former general’s repeated outbursts at reporters, at times swearing at them when being bombarded with unwanted questions, has regularly brought shock and surprise.

Last year he placed a life-size cardboard cut-out of himself wearing a suit and tie in front of a microphone and walked away, telling media to ask the replica questions instead.

Despite all these plays, Prayuth is on the cusp of becoming one of the longest-serving Thai prime ministers in history. In a combined ballot of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, the parliament on Wednesday reinstalled him for a second term with 500 votes in favour and 244 for his rival, Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, a charismatic political newcomer.

Some Thais were unhappy about the outcome, with hashtag #RIPTHAILAND and #NotMyPM trending on Thai Twitter in the aftermath.

“I was disappointed because I’m part of a new generation and I hope that the country could move forward to be better than it is now,” Suchanya Boonchu, 19, told Reuters.