Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha's social media campaign has drawn mixed reactions online. A few hours after his initial posts early last week, netizens had flooded his Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages with angry, insulting and sarcastic comments.
These kinds of reactions will test the tolerance limit of a leader who is well-known for his hot temper towards harsh criticism in general and tough questions posed by the media in particular.
His social media blitz aims to promote a positive profile and establish direct contact with the people, he said in his first Facebook post. He even has a Thai hashtag, #TuDigital. Tu is his nickname.
Paritta Wangkiat is a columnist, Bangkok Post.
Before the launch of his social media blitz, Gen Prayut had barely confronted direct hostile comments from the public. Since the 2014 coup, he has strictly maintained one-way communication with the public via his Friday-evening weekly television programme. His audience didn't have an opportunity to give him feedback.
Now everyone has that opportunity, thanks to his campaign. But exposing himself to comments from netizens could be a bitter pill for the PM.
The mixed responses to his social media pages during the first few days of the launch included thousands of hostile comments. Some attacked him with hate speech and threatened his life.
Many blamed him for pushing Thailand backward by halting democratic progress and increasing corruption. During his overseas trip to attend the 12th Asia-Europe Meeting summit in Belgium late last week, some netizens said they missed democracy more than him.
Some reminded him of scandals involving the military or military figures such as the luxury wristwatch saga of Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon and his government's arms procurement plans.
On Saturday, he responded to the negative comments, implying that he often faces "the words that ruin [his] feeling" but they can't "obstruct [him] from doing good things" for society.
Since then, apparently, his social media pages have been filled with positive comments praising his achievement in maintaining peace and driving the country towards progress. Netizens suspect that antagonistic comments might have been blocked or deleted.
Buddhipongse Punnakanta, a core member of the team operating the PM's online campaign, admitted his team might have deleted or blocked some "inappropriate, vulgar and unhelpful" comments.
He promised the blocking of comments would be kept to a minimum. But critics have said it shows the coup leader, as usual, is unable to take criticism.
I don't agree with using hate speech against anyone -- even the PM. But screening out inappropriate comments merely closes the door for the premier to hear diverse and honest opinions about his government's performance and himself. With such an approach, his social media campaign will be like his old one-way communication strategy that failed to hear voices from the public.
However, it won't be surprising if the premier himself censors hostile feedback on his accounts. Gen Prayut's social media blitz could be just a propaganda tool aimed to build his popularity in the lead up to the Feb 24 general election as part of the preparations for him to become PM for a second term.
His social media campaign is aimed at promoting his softer and less military side, by not referring to him as a general but using his first name or the nickname.
During his mobile cabinet trips to the provinces where he encountered local people, he has also acted like a politician running an election campaign.
The many comments that earlier flooded Gen Prayut's social media spaces reflect the fact that people are frustrated and disappointed because, under authoritarian military rule, there has been little progress in economic and social development and no meaningful political competition.
Now they must observe an unfair political game in which Gen Prayut and the pro-military Palang Pracharath Party gain an advantage over rival parties which still face a political ban.
If Gen Prayut is open to harsh comments on his social media pages and takes them into consideration, he may be able to see for himself a clearer picture of how popular or unpopular he is.
That could help him make a decision about his political future. Now, he seems to have lost track of it.