Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has made his debut on video-sharing app TikTok in an apparent bid to connect with younger people.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha makes his first appearance on TikTok. Photo by TikTok thaigov
Using the TikTok account Thai Ku Fah -- the name of the principal Government House building -- Gen Prayut, who has also been mastering his addresses to the nation via podcasts, conveyed his best wishes for Chinese New Year amid Chinese background music.
Gen Prayut's image is adorned with red floating lanterns marked with the word "Heng" (good luck) and overhead is a banner that declares "The prime minister and his Chinese New Year wishes".
A Government House source said it was the first time Gen Prayut had appeared on the popular social media platform and followed a suggestion by one of his spokesmen, who have been advising the PM and other cabinet ministers to establish new, less formal communication channels with people.
Gen Prayut said he wanted to be able to communicate to all segments of the population in an ever-changing world.
But the premier's debut does not necessary herald the dawn of regular TikTok appearances.
Gen Prayut said he would wait and see how his experiment goes.
"I made a point of telling our PR team that I will not pull faces like the teens do," he said.
"A prime minister has to be careful about how he acts."