Prawit Wongsuwan, the deputy prime minister and subject of the wristwatch scandal, playfully challenged a female reporter to a fistfight this morning after being asked whether elections would will be delayed once again — you know, for the fifth time.
It looked as if the question of whether there would really be an election on Feb. 24 as planned triggered Junta No. 2. After the 73-year-old general told reporters outside the Ministry of Defence that the election would follow the previously presented roadmap, one journalist tried his best to get a confirmation by asking: “So will there be an election on Feb. 24? We’ll get to mark an X on the ballot?”
“If you want to mark an X, mark an X!” Prawit responded, with what seemed to be considerable annoyance.
Another female reporter cut in and explained that the question was due to concerns that the junta might change their mind, again.
“People are afraid that the junta is not honest, and they don’t want to hold an election. I’m giving you a chance to deny it,” she said.
To which he responded with a smile: “If you’re going to talk like this, why don’t we just have a fistfight?”
“Not really. I’m under 13 years old. I might die,” she quipped back sarcastically.
Just another compelling conversation with Gen. Prawit, really.
The junta first promised to hold the general election in 2015 after seizing power in May 2014. Since then, polling dates have been changed four times.
Last month, Prawit denied rumours that the country’s next, highly-anticipated general election would be delayed to April next year and insisted that the country would finally get to vote on Feb. 24 as planned.
