NAN

Thai Prime Minister, Prayut Chan-o-cha, on Tuesday, defended his new social media presence ahead of the 2019 general elections, in spite of backlash.

Prayut has launched his official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts for the first time since coming to power in a May 2014 coup.

Just two days after, over 100,000 people have flooded his pages with comments, most of which are negative.

“It’s normal for people to both commend me and criticise me,’’ Prayut told a weekly news conference at Government House in Bangkok.

He made the statement after posting a selfie with the cave boys, who had just come back from their first overseas trips to Argentina and the U.S.

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Prayut’s remarks came amid increasing outcry from political parties and dissenters that the junta was unfairly taking advantage of its position in power to gain support for the upcoming general elections.

Meanwhile, he has tentatively set the general elections for February 2019, as he still bars other parties from campaigning.

“You are a burden for the country. You’ve set the country backwards. If you won’t resign, at least make the elections free and fair,’’ wrote one person, Kraisorn Chuakram, on Prayut’s Facebook page.

The junta had promised to rid the country of corruption and restore political stability following months of massive street demonstrations against the last administration.

Prayut has postponed the election no less than four times, saying he has yet to complete its reforms.

His popularity has been in sharp decline in recent months due to the repeated election delays and various corruption allegations.