Prayut inaugurates Defence and Security exhibition

The Constitutional Court on Wednesday suspended him from carrying out his duties as prime minister pending a ruling on his tenure in office.

Prayut presided over the opening ceremony of the Defence and Security 2022 exhibition at the Impact Challenger Hall in Muang Thong Thani.

He was accompanied by Deputy Defence Minister Chaicharn Changmongkol, General Warakiat Rattananont, the permanent secretary at the Defence Ministry, Navy Commander-in-Chief Admiral Somprasong Nilsamai and Police assistant commissioner-general Pol Lt-General Surachate Hakpal. There was tight security at the event.

The event was also attended by Thai and foreign senior military officers and defence envoys.

Prayut declined to talk to reporters who tried to ask him how he was doing since his suspension as PM by the Constitutional Court.

On Wednesday, the court voted unanimously to accept the opposition’s petition for deliberation on whether the PM’s maximum eight-year tenure, as stipulated by the Constitution, should be deemed to have ended on August 24. The court also voted 5:4 to suspend him from PM’s duties.

In his opening speech, Prayut thanked foreign ambassadors, envoys, chiefs of foreign armed forces, and defence industry operators for joining the defence technologies’ exhibition.

Prayut said the Defence and Security exhibition was among crucial defence technology fairs in Asia where armaments and defence technologies were on show.

Prayut said he would like to thank defence ministers, ambassadors and chiefs of armed forces of allied nations for taking part in the event. He also thanked weapons makers from abroad for joining the show.