PRIME MINISTER Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday said that he himself would design the outline of a training course for politicians who failed to change their behaviour despite being repeatedly summoned for “attitude adjustment”.

The course will cover a range of subjects including national administration, morality and good governance, Prayut revealed at his weekly news briefing.

The course could take 3-30 days, he said, and one person could be called several times to take it.

Prayut also plans to design another outline for journalists, he said.

The premier, however, admitted that he does not expect the obvious outcome from the course. He only wishes to call in people so that military officers can point out directly about their actions.

Meanwhile, the leader of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship, Nuttawut Saikuar, yesterday rejected the idea of a training course for politicians to be obedient, saying he did not believe any training course could make people think alike.

“No course can teach people to have the same thinking. Thai Society moves forward with a diversity of opinion like any other society in the world. All sectors should be given the liberty to express opinion as a public referendum on the charter is being held,” he said.

Nuttawut said taking people into a military camp is not good for the country’s image and human rights groups are monitoring such incidents.

Army chief General Teerachai Nakwanich said that a training course to educate “stubborn” politicians should be first used on those who had been summoned by the junta for “attitude adjustment”.

Teerachai, who also serves as secretary-general of the National Council for Peace and Order, was reflecting on a proposal by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha about a training course for politicians.

“Anybody who does not understand [after the attitude adjustment session] should undergo the training. The country needs peace,” he said.Army chief General Teerachai Nakwanich said a decision would be made in time about when to start the training course and Pheu Thai politicians like Wattana Muangsuk and Worachai Hema would be attending the preliminary training session.

He said these politicians keep talking because they are afraid that people will forget them when they seek election.

“We will keep them with us for a long time. Our soldiers understand things much better than them. The country is going well and people live in peace. If they do not know how to think, they will be trained,” he said.

Wattana has been fighting charges of committing computer crimes, which carry a punishment of five years in prison. He is currently free on bail.

The politician was charged after posting on Facebook early this month that Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan was “sexist”.

He was taken from his home on March 3 by Army officials and detained at a military base for an “attitude adjustment” session before being interrogated by police.

The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) on Saturday ordered military officers to take Worachai from his residence.

Worachai was quoted by the media as saying that if the current Constitution draft failed to pass the referendum, General Prayut Chan-o-cha should resign as prime minister to take responsibility.

Worachai was yesterday released and allowed to return to his residence.

Meanwhile, Prayut insisted that it is legally wrongful to distribute red plastic bowls, printed with names of ex-PM Thaksin and Yingluck Shinawatra, as Thaksin is fugitive and Yingluck is still going under prosecution process.

Prayut‘s comment came after a report of a Chiang Mai resident called to report to military court for sedition after posting a photo of himself with a red plastic bowl online.

The red plastic bowls were reported to be given to Chiang Mai residents, together with photos of the former premiers, to extend the former premiers’ advance wishes for Songkran day, blessing people to go through “heating situations”.