PM Prayut Wishes You A Happy Chinese New Year…On TikTok

Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha in a Tiktok posted Feb. 10, 2021.

BANGKOK — Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Thursday made his debut on TikTok with a video of him wishing a happy Chinese New Year.

Gen. Prayut’s message to the Thai-Chinese community was made on the government’s official TikTok account, which appears to have been launched just a week ago. The video has been “liked” for more than 2,000 times as of publication time.

“For this Chinese New Year, I invite all the sacred spirits to bless our Chinese brothers and sisters, as well as Thais with Chinese descent. May you have strong hearts and minds, and be blessed with fortune, merit, and happiness in all aspects of your life,” Prayut said.

In the 16-second clip with seasonal background music, the general is surrounded by cartoon Chinese lanterns and a red banner at the top that reads, “Prime Minister’s Chinese New Year Wishes.”

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@thaigov##นายกประยุทธ์ อวยพร ##ตรุษจีน2021 ##ไทยคู่ฟ้า♬ original sound – ไทยคู่ฟ้า

He signed off with the traditional Teochew greeting for the Lunar Festival, “Xin jia yu ee, xin ni huad chai,” which is the equivalent of “Gong xi fa cai” in Mandarin.

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But don’t expect a viral TikTok dance from the retired general any time soon though.

“I already told my public relations department that I will not be making funny faces like teenagers do,” Gen. Prayut told reporters earlier today. “I won’t do that … I have to be mindful of my posture, as a Prime Minister.”

The government’s official Tiktok account @Thaigov posted their first video in early February about registering for car license plates. Two other videos are about petty crime punishments and using social security aid cards.