Why Did the Head of the Thai Junta Smell a Sock?

Critics of the Thailand's military government have been detained for voicing their opinions. But that hasn't stopped people from making fun of a photo of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha.

(Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP/Getty Images)
(Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP/Getty Images)
(Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP/Getty Images)

Thailand’s unelected prime minister, Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, was taking a stroll through a government science expo Wednesday when he paused to sniff a “nanofiber” sock, fit snugly over what appears to be the foot and ankle of a mannequin leg amputated at the shin, just in time for a photographer for the news site Khaosod to snap a picture.

Thailand’s unelected prime minister, Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, was taking a stroll through a government science expo Wednesday when he paused to sniff a “nanofiber” sock, fit snugly over what appears to be the foot and ankle of a mannequin leg amputated at the shin, just in time for a photographer for the news site Khaosod to snap a picture.

This wasn’t the first odd public moment for Prayuth, the former head of Thailand’s military and writer of pop song “Returning Happiness to Thailand,” since he seized power in 2014. His gaffes have at times taken a far less innocuous form: He once joked about executing journalists.

Needless to say, the sock photo went viral, with one Facebook user, Supanich Sakcha-um, posing the obvious question engendered by the affair: “Why on earth did he has [sic] to sniff that thing????”

Of the other three men who appear in the photo: One seems neutral, one grim, and one bemused.

Khaosod posted a story promising to explain the incident, titled “Here’s the Story Behind Photo of Prayuth Smelling a Sock.” However, all it provides by way of explanation is the following: “[A] particular nanofiber sock caught the retired general’s attention. So he picked it up and gave it a good whiff.”

Maybe he just wanted to see what it smelled like. I have to admit — I’m kind of curious myself.

Critics of the junta have been detained for voicing their opinions. But that hasn’t stopped people from making fun of the photo online. “He love [sic] disgusting things , Like this foul sock and his government,” one Facebook user wrote. While Prayuth’s crackdowns on protests and silencing of dissent may be more legitimate grounds for criticism, sock sniffing isn’t likely to win him any new fans.

Photo credit: LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA/AFP/Getty Images

Twitter: @bsoloway

More from Foreign Policy

An illustration shows the Statue of Liberty holding a torch with other hands alongside hers as she lifts the flame, also resembling laurel, into place on the edge of the United Nations laurel logo.
An illustration shows the Statue of Liberty holding a torch with other hands alongside hers as she lifts the flame, also resembling laurel, into place on the edge of the United Nations laurel logo.

A New Multilateralism

How the United States can rejuvenate the global institutions it created.

A view from the cockpit shows backlit control panels and two pilots inside a KC-130J aerial refueler en route from Williamtown to Darwin as the sun sets on the horizon.
A view from the cockpit shows backlit control panels and two pilots inside a KC-130J aerial refueler en route from Williamtown to Darwin as the sun sets on the horizon.

America Prepares for a Pacific War With China It Doesn’t Want

Embedded with U.S. forces in the Pacific, I saw the dilemmas of deterrence firsthand.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, seen in a suit and tie and in profile, walks outside the venue at the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. Behind him is a sculptural tree in a larger planter that appears to be leaning away from him.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, seen in a suit and tie and in profile, walks outside the venue at the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. Behind him is a sculptural tree in a larger planter that appears to be leaning away from him.

The Endless Frustration of Chinese Diplomacy

Beijing’s representatives are always scared they could be the next to vanish.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomes Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman during an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on June 22, 2022.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomes Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman during an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on June 22, 2022.

The End of America’s Middle East

The region’s four major countries have all forfeited Washington’s trust.