First row may get wet: Thai PM sprays journalists with hand sanitizer after being irked by cabinet reshuffle question

The Thai prime minister left a bad taste in the mouths of some reporters on Tuesday as he sprayed them with clouds of hand sanitizer after being asked a question about a potential cabinet reshuffle during a press conference.

Prayut Chan-o-cha was taking questions from journalists at Government House in Bangkok when, just before leaving the room, the visibly annoyed PM approached the first row of reporters and, while covering his face with a mask, began to shower them with hand sanitizer.

The PM then exited the room, appearing to stumble at one point as he left.

The Thai leader has form regarding strange confrontations with the press, and is previously reported to have hurled a banana skin at camera operators and even set up a cardboard cutout of himself to avoid questions from the media.

His latest outburst comes after three cabinet ministers were ousted from their posts by a court last month, having been found guilty of sedition for protest activities between 2013 and 2014.

In one of the final questions of the press conference, Prayut was asked when new ministers might be named, but the PM brushed off the query.

Calls for the PM’s resignation have grown in recent weeks after activists calling for political reform were charged with violating lese majeste law, which prohibits criticizing senior members of the royal family.

More protests took place last week as hundreds took to the streets of Bangkok, ignoring Covid-19 public-gathering restrictions, to demand the release of prisoners who the authorities allege conspired against the government at a protest in September. 

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