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Outspoken parliamentarian Pareena Kraikupt made light of Tuesday’s incident that saw the premier spraying a row of journalists with disinfectant before leaving a press conference.
“When the disinfectant machine at the Government House is broken, it is up to the premier to show his love and care for the reporters right?” the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) MP wrote on Facebook Wednesday.
She also dismissed comments that the laughter in the press corp was a nervous reaction to such inappropriate behaviour. “The reporters were laughing because the PM loves them, that’s why he was playing with them,” she said.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha made global headlines for his impatient response to a series of questions about the ongoing cabinet reshuffle by reporters at Government House.
He left the podium to spray disinfectant along the front row of reporters while talking to them, grimacing and clutching his unattached mask to his face.
On Wednesday, the hashtag “Prayut Get Out” (#ประยุทธ์ออกไป) was trending as online commentators said the behaviour was unbecoming of a leader and disrespectful, suggesting Prayut himself was more in need of disinfection.
Many tweets cited international news agencies criticizing the PM’s actions, including one Brazilian newscast that called it “absurd”. Some also stressed that such does not represent all Thai people.
Some criticized the reporters’ light-hearted reactions, pointing out that a blast of santizer to the face is no laughing matter.
A senior reporter at the Thai Enquirer condemned the move, asking whether reporters, who have the same human rights as the PM, can also spray back disinfectant at the premier?
Another senior reporter from the Bangkok Post said the PM was just being playful.
According to the Optometrists Network’s website, if an alcohol-based hand sanitizer gets into your eye, it could be “quite dangerous if not handled correctly and even lead to vision loss”. In particular, rubbing the eyes as an instinctive reaction to the first sensation could make it worse, it said.