Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is playing it cool over his oath gaffe but critics are uncertain how long he can keep calm in the face of growing adversity.
Despite claims by government supporters that the blunder has been blown out of proportion, critics believe there has to come a point where the saga is debated in parliament and possibly in court too.
Instead of reciting the oath of office verbatim, Gen Prayut strayed from the safe bet, a script prepared for him to read by the parliament office, and proceeded to use his own notes.
He omitted the last sentence -- a commitment to uphold and abide by the constitution.
Political opponents interpreted Gen Prayut's omission as resistance to the legal requirement to follow the constitution. Some have gone as far as to infer it as an admission that the prime minister would entertain the notion of military intervention to tear up the charter as a way of breaking any future political deadlock.
The opposition has denied it was aiming to bring down the government by filing a motion for a parliamentary debate to grill Gen Prayut over the controversy. The debate will proceed without a vote, which means the opposition has no political ammunition with which to censure Gen Prayut and oust him from power.
A more damning prospect, however, is the prospect of judicial involvement.
Activist Srisuwan Janya has asked the Office of the Ombudsman to forward the issue to the Constitutional Court or the Administrative Court for a ruling on the government's legitimacy.
Mr Srisuwan's assertion is that if the oath-taking was indeed incomplete, the cabinet would technically be illegitimate and its orders and regulations from day one should be declared null and void.
The political ramifications would be far-reaching: If the government has to go as a result of the oath controversy, the possibility of another election so soon after the March 24 polls would not bode well for anyone, including an opposition that depleted its resources and energy in the last battle for votes.
That may well explain why the opposition has reiterated time and again that its pressing Gen Prayut to clarify the oath issue is not intended to sink the government.
Gen Prayut has maintained he is not about to throw in the towel and quit as prime minister.
The premier's mention at a public forum in Nonthaburi early this month of his duty to accept sole responsibility for the oath blunder had set tongues wagging that he was looking to bow out.
The Office of the Ombudsman is expected to rule later this month on Mr Srisuwan's petition.
The opposition has tried in vain to get the premier to speak about the issue on at least two occasions in the House of Representatives.
In the first instance, Gen Prayut missed the session while away on a visit to the South. The second time around, he was attending official engagements.
Future Forward Party secretary-general Piyabutr Saengkanokkul, who was responsible for drawing the public's attention to the error, has advised Gen Prayut to seek royal permission to take the oath again and deliver the full text of the official script.
Somsak: Linked to rogue monk
Whose side are they on?
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha's tour of parched Surin province this week came as a test of loyalty for three MPs from the opposition Pheu Thai Party.
Like the slim-majority government with its nose barely above water in parliament, the opposition has its fair share of vulnerabilities too.
That was evident on Monday when Gen Prayut was visiting Surin to inspect progress in projects designed to give much-needed relief to a province battered by drought over the past few weeks.
From the trip sprang a political undertone that touched a Pheu Thai nerve.
The prime minister's trip was typically teeming with hordes of supporters, officials and politicians. They turned up in droves to greet Gen Prayut.
Spotted welcoming the PM were Khrumanit Sangphum, Teeyai Phunsrithanakul and Khunakorn Preechachanachai, all of them Surin Pheu Thai MPs.
The MPs maintained that it must be recognised that drought is a problem which transcends political boundaries, and people need all the help they can get from the government to deal with it.
As if the sight of the three MPs did not irk their party enough, one or two of them were heard cheering Gen Prayut on, saying the prime minister should stay on to complete his four-year term in office.
"If the government does something right, it deserves our support," Mr Khrumanit told the Bangkok Post. He and his fellow Surin MPs thanked the prime minister for engineering projects to get tap water running again and replenishing reservoirs in the province.
The MPs also asked Gen Prayut to consider a debt moratorium for farmers left reeling from the effects of the severe drought.
Unperturbed by speculation that the MPs may face disciplinary action from Pheu Thai over their meeting with the prime minister, Mr Khrumanit said he was not about to switch to the ruling Palang Pracharath Party.
Leaping to the MPs' defence was Sompong Amornvivat, the opposition leader and a key figure in Pheu Thai.
He said he believed the three MPs had met Gen Prayut because they were after a budget to develop their constituencies, which is what MPs are supposed to do.
"They didn't fawn over the prime minister," Mr Sompong said.
However, he warned the MPs that they should be careful with their words and not go overboard with any flattery, but he trusted that under the circumstances, the MPs had little choice but to keep the conversation with the prime minister going and sometimes that involved uttering praise.
Some Pheu Thai supporters thought the MPs might find it hard explaining themselves to their constituents, who are not so fond of the government.
It is a matter of capitalising on one's finesse, Mr Sompong said, adding the MPs cannot be told what to do.
Sompong: Cagey defence of 'flattery'
New justice chief ruffles feathers
The spotlight has fallen on the Justice Ministry since Somsak Thepsuthin, a key figure of the Sam Mitr faction, took the helm at the ministry, according to political observers.
Said to be a disciple of the controversial Phra Dhammajayo, former abbot of Wat Phra Dhammakaya, Mr Somsak's first challenge is to capture the elusive monk who is wanted for allegedly laundering money and receiving stolen property in connection with the multi-billion-baht Klongchan Credit Union Cooperative embezzlement case.
The Department of Special Investigation, which is under the jurisdiction of the Justice Ministry, failed to nail the monk in attempted arrests in 2016 and 2017.
Back in 2005 when he was the tourism minister, Mr Somsak, along with Somchai and Yaowapa Wongsawat, donated a 300-rai plot in Nong Khai's Phon Phisai district to the temple for construction of the Pathumrat Dhamma Chedi.
Upon taking the job as justice minister Mr Somsak was asked by reporters if he was worried about the legal action against the rogue monk.
The minister was quoted as saying there was nothing wrong with being a "giver", a reference to his land donation to the temple.
According to a political source, Mr Somsak has a team of staff which not only helps him research important issues and keep track of things but also coordinates closely with a group of journalists to raise his public profile.
The justice minister's aides have reportedly been so proactive that they are making some officials nervous, said the source.
There are also reports that some staff members have made inquiries about a "secret budget" and the "PR funds" of each agency under the Justice Ministry.
The Department of Probation was left red-faced early this month when Mr Somsak, after receiving a complaint about electronic monitoring bracelets, observed a test and saw that the devices could be easily taken off with soap.
The Corrections Department was reportedly caught off guard when Mr Somsak's team made a field trip to inspect its prison construction project in Rayong after receiving an "anonymous" letter which raised questions about the project's transparency.
Security equipment specifications at the 150-rai construction site of Huai Pong Prison are the focus of the complaint.
The inspection trip appeared to have upset Pol Col Narat Sawettanan, director-general of the Corrections Department, who issued a letter in defence of the department's handling of the project.
In his letter, Pol Col Narat urged the justice minister to review and improve guidelines governing political post holders and government officials working together.
He was also adamant that state officials should be given a chance to tell their side of the story first when allegations are levelled against them.
Pol Col Narat's message was well-received by Mr Somsak who dropped by the department this week apparently to clear the air.
While admitting that his staff may have gone too far, the justice minister defended their enthusiasm.
"I didn't send anyone to ask about secret funds. Here at the Justice Ministry, I have no deputies and I need a team to help me keep track of various issues," he was quoted as saying.