In the new format of the 50-minute “Return Happiness to the People” programme starting last night, Prayut sat and talked to Deputy Government Spokeswoman Thaksada Sangkhachan.

Prayut also picked some of the public complaints addressed to him to answer during the programme.

The PM played down the changes to his talk show broadcast by the Television Pool of Thailand every Friday night since he took control of the country in the May 2014 coup.

“I will still continue to talk a lot. I will talk about problems that this government has solved and is solving since we came in,” he said.

He said the complaints that he would choose to answer in the programme were those filed with the government’s Damrongtham Centres nationwide.

He said he has instructed concerned agencies to address any urgent complaints. Some issues take time because the government has to amend relevant laws.

“We have to resort to not only the rule of law but political science principles to address some issues. I want to help solve problems for every complaint but it is impossible,” he said.

He said the government had been able to revamp 400 outdated laws since it came to power. But for many problems he needed to resort to Article 44.

The government has cracked down on mafias, bringing about social order, preventing conflicts from anti-government movements, and solving human-trafficking problems, forest encroachment and many economic issues, he claimed.

“The government is solving these problems for the country as we do not want the country to be in danger. Every sector must give a hand. Why do some academics, the biased media and some groups of students not feel sad for the country?” he asked.