In the past month, Thailand’s Prime Minister, Prayuth Chan-ocha, has been opining on seemingly every subject under the sun. He suggested it might not be safe for western women tourists to wear bikinis on the beaches of Thailand as they might invite sexual assaults from others — not the type of statement that would endear visitors to the kingdom. He quickly back-pedalled on that.
His soldiers have taken to cleaning up beaches in those tourist areas, angering many Thais who earn a living from selling food, beverages and trinkets to tourists.
And on Friday, Prayuth admonished television scriptwriters for promoting violence and divisions in society in their domestic soap opera productions. Elsewhere, his officials are rewriting recent Thai political history by removing references to former premier Thaksin Shinawatra from textbooks. His officials are changing the school curriculum to learn more about the meaning and symbolism of Thailand’s tricolour national flag, while songs such as the king’s anthem will be played in schools. Since coming to power in a coup d’etat in May, Prayuth has tried to give his regime legitimacy by exchanging his general’s uniform for the carefully tailored suit of Prime Minister. The reality is that Prayuth can muse on society and tinker with rules and schools as much as he pleases, but the fundamental nature of Thailand hasn’t changed. Until proper democratic principles are restored and all parties are actively engaged, Prayuth might as well build his new kingdom in Lego.
