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 鈥 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: 鈥淪o will there be an election on Feb. 24? We鈥檒l get to mark an X on the ballot?鈥
鈥淚f you want to mark an X, mark an X!鈥 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.
鈥淧eople are afraid that the junta is not honest, and they don鈥檛 want to hold an election. I鈥檓 giving you a chance to deny it,鈥 she said.
To which he responded with a smile: 鈥淚f you鈥檙e going to talk like this, why don鈥檛 we just have a fistfight?鈥
鈥淣ot really. I鈥檓 under 13 years old. I might die,鈥 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鈥檚 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.
