Prior to taking over power from an elected government, Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha might not have been aware that the job of premier demands someone with a thick skin.
After being subject to heavy criticism over the past four years, he may now think differently -- that criticism is in fact part of the job.
As that's the case, the National Council for Peace and Order's (NCPO) zeal for attacking a former Pheu Thai Party spokeswoman for her criticisms of the premier is all the more mysterious.
The premier's subordinates in the NCPO's legal department are resorting to the extreme measure of charging Lt Sunisa Lertpakawat with sedition for Facebook posts taking Gen Prayut to task for fairly mundane transgressions. This suggests the NCPO harbours a grievance against certain groups rather than assessing criticism on its merits.
The regime's legal department has filed computer crime and sedition charges against Lt Sunisa Lertpakawat for three Facebook posts this year in which she attacked the prime minister. Lt Sunisa has met the police twice this week to acknowledge a string of charges.
True, the journalist-turned-politician's social media messages are confrontational in nature and harsh in their choices of words. And they may not be completely objective. But none of this constitutes a criminal act. In a Dec 4 post, Lt Sunisa took Gen Prayut to task for alleged preferential treatment.
She slammed the premier for not making himself available to meet coal protesters from the South at Government House to accept a petition in person, but still managing to meet singer Artiwara "Toon" Kongmalai for a feel-good photo-op, as the rocker took a break from his highly publicised charity run.
Earlier, on Oct 4 and Sept 30, she questioned Gen Prayut's motives behind his October trip to the US to meet President Donald Trump, accusing him of trying to seal an arms purchase deal. Like other criticisms of Gen Prayut, they do not seem to pose any threat to national security and therefore do not fit the context of sedition. Nor are the messages disseminated on the internet "in a fraudulent and dishonest way" which cause harm to the public. So it is questionable if they constitute an offence stipulated by the contentious Computer Crime Act.
But the NCPO's team keep citing sedition and computer crime offences as pretexts to take legal action against her. This is an unsound move. Lt Sunisa was exercising mere freedom of expression, a basic right guaranteed by the constitution. If they believe her messages are inaccurate or false, the NCPO has ample media channels to counter her claims, clarify facts and establish the truth.
While the legal grounds for the charges do not look solid, the motive behind the move seems obvious. Gen Prayut and other NCPO key leaders have suffered a great deal of criticism in recent months. But Lt Sunisa is the latest target because of her close connections with the Pheu Thai Party.
The NCPO has launched similar prosecutions against its political critics before, also by citing sedition and computer crime offences. Since the May 2014 coup, at least 66 people, excluding Lt Sunisa, have been charged with sedition for their activism, social media posts and simple criticism in 26 cases, according to iLaw. Some cases are still pending court trial while others are awaiting investigation.
On the bright side, the NCPO's legal team may not be able to inflict much harm on Lt Sunisa if the case is dismissed. But the regime may succeed in putting off other critics, making them think twice before speaking out.
The regime's persecution of Lt Sunisa casts in an entirely negative light at a time when it is already facing mounting criticism. Gen Prayut should let his legal team know that Thais are entitled to criticise their prime minister, and no one should be prosecuted for doing that. He must ask them to drop the charges.