A message for the public – or just the chicken? ‘The NCPO won’t be hard on you,’ Prayut says

While holding an award-winning fighting cock named Thepprathanporn, Prayut seemed to be drumming up support for the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO).
“Don’t be scared of the NCPO,” Prayut said, while scratching the chicken’s neck. “The NCPO won’t be hard on you.”
The prime minister is well known for his monologues during his Friday TV programme, which normally spans from 30 minutes to almost an hour, but he also appears to enjoy one-way conversations with animals during his field trips.
While the behaviour might be seen as odd, some political observers have interpreted his body language as meant to indirectly communicate political ideas to the public.
During August’s trip to Nakhon Ratchasima, he told cows “don’t fight each other”, before telling a frog in his hand “to be born a female frog in the next life so I too will become a frog prince”.
During this trip to Phitsanulok, he has spent Bt25,000 on three fluffy Thai Bangkaew puppies for himself, his deputy General Chatchai Saikulya and Interior Minister Anupong Paochinda.
With the cold weather lending itself to an atmosphere of joviality, the junta premier’s year-end field trip in the North was in stark contrast to the scene in Bangkok, where politics have been heated since Prayut controversially invoked the absolute Article 44 order to amend the Political Party Act.
While political commentators continued to slam the order, Prayut instead chose to enjoy spending time with local Phitsanulok residents before heading to a mobile Cabinet meeting in Sukhothai today.
In the last months of the year, the prime minister has made numerous field visits to areas across the country to observe local development projects and administrations. And everywhere he goes, multi-million-baht projects have been approved and local people given land use permits.
In line with that trend, the premier yesterday also witnessed the granting of 21 permits for land plots in 14 provinces. 
“Admittedly, our country is troubled with people’s livelihoods, especially for those with low incomes,” he said to about 1,000 gathered local people
“We are also troubled by the market system. As we have free markets, people have to develop themselves to gain more market share. We have to cooperate with each other under the King [Rama IX]’s Sufficiency Economy Philosophy,” he said. 
As occurred during last month’s trip to the South, residents filed petitions with the premier, but whereas he scolded a fisherman last month in Yala, this time he appeared to keep his cool.
Residents lined up to tell him about plunging rice prices, drought problems and, in particular, 23 households that had been deprived of electricity for two decades, with Prayut responding by ordering relevant ministers to address the issues.
He also referred to local SMEs that process som sa, the famous Thai herb known as bitter orange that has medicinal effects to alleviate coughing.
“Som sa is local wisdom with pride,” Prayut said, not missing a chance to display his particular brand of humour. “Please call me Prayut Chan-Som-Sa so I will blend with the atmosphere.”