It's no secret that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and newshounds at Government House have a love-hate relationship.
When faced with difficult questions, the PM can blast the newshounds, even swear at them. He sometimes even behaves physically inappropriately such as flinging a banana peel at a reporter or reporters.
When his actions trigger an outcry, the PM or his aides come out to say sorry. "Just kidding" is one of his frequently used excuses.
On March 10 he drew another round of criticism when he sprayed hand sanitiser at reporters as a way of ducking their questions regarding the cabinet reshuffle. As criticism heightened, he went back to same old excuse: "it's a joke."
"Who spread [the pictures]? I was joking with you. Therefore, from now on, we won't joke with each other. That's it," said the PM as reports of his behaviour were picked up by several international media outlets.
But the latest episode which saw the PM irritated with a woman journalist who sat cross-legged during a press conference that resulted in her suspension from Government House seems over the top.
According to news reports, Gen Prayut was so annoyed he told her to "sit properly".
While sitting in that position is acceptable internationally, in Thailand some old-fashioned people, including those in senior positions, typically find the posture impolite. Needless to say, Gen Prayut is among them.
As the news appeared in some media outlets, the journalist identified herself in a tweet. "The prime minister wasn't happy a reporter sat cross-legged. Who's that? Who raised her foot before the premier? Yes, I did. LOL. I was warned. One must sit with both legs pressed tightly together."
The journalist also likened her work conditions at Government House where reporters wait for cabinet ministers to emerge from the main building to offer comments, likening it to a dog in front of a 7-Eleven convenience store.
And eventually she said: "Game over. Manners and attitude, not fitting."
Natthriya Thaweevong, chief of the Government Spokesperson Bureau, late on Tuesday conceded that the journalist, who works for a Japanese media outlet, was indeed suspended from Government House.
But she insisted it was not because of the way the journalist sat, but her habit of "disseminating misinformation".
Such accusations are bizarre, if not unfair.
If Ms Natthriya read carefully, she would find her tweets were just satire, as the woman was making fun of herself and her job.
In banning the journalist, the bureau chief must be able to pinpoint which parts of the journalist's tweets are fake or lies. There were no bad words used against the prime minister, or anyone.
Not to mention that such a metaphor has been used by most, if not all, journalists at Government House for quite some time.
If anyone chooses to penalise the reporter, it should be her supervisor as her tweets might give the impression the job is frustrating, which is not necessarily so.
It's safe to presume that Ms Natthriya made such a bizarre decision out of a wish to please the government leader. Little does she realise that the suspension order is nonsense and only portrays her boss in a bad light.
For Ms Natthriya and those higher up at Government House, it's time to give importance to cultivating a healthy relationship with the media, a modus vivendi based truly on professionalism and mutual respect.