Thai PM ends presser by spraying reporters with disinfectant
Politicians are often accused of sanitizing the news
Politicians are often accused of sanitizing the news. On Tuesday, Thailand’s prime minister sanitized members of the press.
After fielding a slew of questions from journalists at his weekly news conference in Bangkok the famously mercurial Prayuth Chan-ocha sprayed back — with disinfectant.
Riled by a final question about a possible Cabinet reshuffle, he told reporters to mind their own business, then grabbed a container of alcohol mist and doused the front row before sauntering off.
The quick-tempered former army commander, who overthrew the elected government in a 2014 coup, is known for his unpredictable behavior. In the past, he's spoken to a media scrum while fondling the ear of one of the reporters and flung a banana peel at camera operators.
After an event in 2018 he declined to speak to the media, and instead set up a life-size cutout of himself. “Ask this guy,” he said and walked away.