A swarm follows Prayuth Chan-ocha wherever he goes, even on a casual stroll through Lumphini Park in Bangkok to meet voters in late April. The Thai prime minister greeted tourists, gamely kicked a rattan ball with a group of boys, then smiled for the cameras aboard a duck-shaped pedal boat.
Yellow rubber ducks were a symbol of protest in 2020, when students led mass demonstrations against Prayuth, a retired army general who led a coup in 2014. Protesters used giant inflatable ducks as shields against tear gas and water cannons.
Prayuth has since become one of Thailand’s longest-ruling prime ministers, far surpassing the tenure of Thaksin Shinawatra, the ruling coalition’s bogeyman. Now running for re-election, Prayuth is asking voters to let him advance business left unfinished after nearly nine years in power.
“I don’t want to, but I have to continue for the country,”…
