As he prepares to move into Bangkok’s Government House this week, Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha is going to great lengths to sweep away any occult challenge.
Prayuth, 60, has left nothing to chance since leading a military coup to topple a democratically elected government on May 22. After a meticulously planned power grab, he has systematically snuffed out dissent.
That meticulousness is being carried through to his government. Like many politicians and generals before him, Prayuth believes in spiritualism and divination, and on Monday members of his entourage were seen carrying Buddha statues and religious idols thought to bring luck in to Government House.
Photo: AFP
However, his beliefs go beyond conventional religion, and last week, Prayuth told an audience of dousing himself from head to toe in holy water as his enemies had tried to curse him.
Army officials said his views on the spirit world and rituals to ward off evil are unlikely to influence government policy.
“Like most Thais, General Prayuth has a deep respect for the spirit world, but his policies will be determined by urgency, practicality and the needs of the people,” said Veerachon Sukhontapatipak, deputy spokesman for the army.
Despite its outwardly modern appearance, everyday life in Thailand still prominently features pre-Buddhist animist beliefs.
The timing of yesterday’s move into the prime ministerial offices has been minutely planned.
Prayuth’s Cabinet started work at 9am yesterday, Sept. 9, an auspicious number in a country where numbers mean everything.
The number nine — pronounced gaow in Thai — is considered especially lucky. It sounds like the Thai word gaow-nah, which means to progress.
Furniture in Prayuth’s designated office has been arranged according to the principles of feng shui.
“Prayuth’s work table has been placed in the east of the work room, as this is thought to aid quick solutions,” said a prime ministerial aide, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
“The tones in the building will mostly be green, as this is the army’s color and Prayuth, as army chief, is compatible with green,” the aide said.
In March, an anti-government group, the Network of Students and People for Thailand’s Reform, held its own ceremony at Government House to reverse black magic said to have been used against them by members of then-Thai prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s government.
Members of the group placed three Buddha statues in the complex’s main building to “destroy black magic,” a group leader said at the time.
Critics say the survival of these beliefs harms democracy and the course of politics should be dictated by the will of the living rather than politicians’ belief in spirits and the stars.
“It is not uncommon to use astrologers to decide what day and time to stage a coup, for example,” said Kan Yuenyong, an analyst at Siam Intelligence Unit think tank.
“It’s not just Prayuth; it’s all Thai leaders, and it can be a dangerous [course to take] because, instead of analyzing a situation according to facts and the political situation on the ground, they might rely on astrology instead and worsen a volatile situation,” Kan said.
The straight-talking Prayuth surprised some observers when he referred to black magic during a meeting last week.
“I have a sore throat and pain in my neck. Someone said there are people putting curses on me,” Prayuth said. “I had so much lustral water poured over my head that I shivered all over.”
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