On Friday, General Prayut Chan-ocha, 68, Prime Minister of Thailand, addressed the press at government building and announced that he would run again – but not for the party he previously represented. “I have been following the situation regarding the nomination of each party’s prime ministerial candidates,” he said, announcing his move to the Ruam Thai Sang Chart party. It was a reaction to the ruling Palang Pracharath party’s intentions to run Prayut’s old companion, Gen Prawit Wongsuwan, 77, as the candidate.
Both generals came to power in a 2014 coup and were confirmed in a semi-democratic election in 2019, in which the military were guaranteed seats in parliament in advance. Not unlike the regime the junta installed in neighboring Myanmar before seizing power completely last year.
Last week, envoys from the Myanmar junta traveled to Bangkok for informal talks with Thai ministers, as well as officials from the governments of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam to “find ways to return to normalcy,” the news agency said Reuters quoted a Cambodian official. Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines declined the invitation. The National Unity Government, Myanmar’s shadow government, then called on ASEAN countries not to deviate from their policy of banning the country’s military leaders from their meetings.
Mockery of government flip-flop policy
But of course, generals have a different understanding of politics. So one of the most pressing questions is how many votes Prayut can attract when his opponent is also a military representative. Last year, the Supreme Court suspended Prayut for a short time because it had to be clarified whether he had already exceeded his eight-year term. Even then, Prawit Wongsuwan took over.
“Ultimately it depends on the people whether they will support me or not,” Prayut said. However, it could be that he overestimates his approval ratings. The government had issued very strict Covid exemptions to quell the burgeoning pro-democracy movement. Thailand, which depends on tourism for around 20 percent of gross national product, was plunged into great distress by zero-Covid concepts adopted from China. In the country, the ever-changing regulations on entry and quarantine were derided as “flip-flop policies”. Prayut didn’t cut a good figure through all of this.
When China’s leader Xi Jinping arrived in Bangkok for the APEC 2022 summit, it looked like he didn’t even want to shake Prayut’s hand. There was even a government press release on the subject, claiming that Xi Jinping is not shaking hands due to China’s tough Covid-19 rules. The day before, however, he had even stretched out his hand to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the G20 summit after an argument as he was leaving. So it was quite possible to get the impression that Prayut was on his way to retirement without realizing it himself.
“I have to make this choice because a lot of things I’ve done over the years require continuity of work over a period of time,” he said on Friday. Although his government came to power in a coup d’état, it would push ahead with development plans in all provinces. Asked if he had consulted Gen Prawit about his plan, Prayut said, “Don’t forget that ties between soldiers are very close.” Their relationship is unchanged. Elections are scheduled for next May.