But the meeting will surely take place, said Deputy Government Spokesman Lt-General Werachon Sukondhapatipak.

Thai authorities will continue to prepare information and talking points for the bilateral discussion, he added.

And Trump’s invitation to Prayut via introductory phone call in April also remains in effect, Werachon said, citing the US Embassy in Bangkok.

However, Werachon could not confirm whether the meeting would take place this year, given Prayut’s busy schedule for the rest of the year, including the Royal Funeral of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej in October and other Royal ceremonies later this year.

Since late May, the Commerce Ministry and Foreign Ministry have been responding to Prayut’s orders to prepare for the Trump meeting with points on issues including trade and investment, intellectual property and security matters.

Military chiefs also took stock of US-made military hardware, including the Army’s 12 Black Hawk helicopters, to provide Prayut with adequate information prior to his visit to White House.

However, Defence Ministry spokesperson Maj-General Kongcheep Tantrawanich said that that this did not mean Thailand expects to agree on military purchases from the US any time soon.

He called upon people to use the Buddhist Lent period (July 9 to October 5) to refrain from drinking alcohol, as this would save money and boost their health.

Government spokesman Lt-General Sansern Kaewkamnerd said on Sunday that Prayut was worried because the World Health Orgainsation had ranked Thailand as fifth in the world in terms of the number of alcohol drinkers.

Drinking also contributed to road accidents and other social issues such as domestic violence and crimes, he said.

It has also been reported that the number of new drinkers aged 15-19 has risen by 4.96 per cent a year.

“The Premier wants Thai public members to use the Buddhist Lent period to reduce or refrain from alcohol drinking, which would also be a great merit,” Sansern said.

The previous campaign to reduce alcohol consumption during Buddhist Lent had proven successful, with 81.2 per cent of participants’ families saving money. It also boosted the participants’ physical health (80.5 per cent), promoted their mental health (50.2 per cent), and reduced family problems by promoting family unity and happiness (31.1 per cent), he said.

Suan Dusit Poll conducted the survey this past week to see the extent of people’s awareness about the post-coup government’s work. About 1,100 respondents nation-wide were asked whether they knew what the government was working on.

Only 20 per cent of the respondents said they were aware of what the government had done, attributing it to not closely following political issues, according to results of the survey released yesterday.

Over half the respondents said they knew about the government’s work to some extent, and around eight per cent said they did not know what the government had accomplished because they did not closely follow issues.

Asked what government actions they knew about the most, nearly 80 per cent of respondents identified corruption suppression. Around 75 per cent were aware of registration of the poor, while nearly 70 per cent knew about the high-speed train project.

Some people said they wanted the government to better inform citizens about its Thailand 4.0 project, the new charter and the election, and educational reform.

Asked what work they viewed as the most important achievement of this government, around 85 per cent chose corruption suppression, followed by forest encroachment suppression, and transportation development. Respondents suggested that the government was not sufficiently tackling the economy and military budget, or enforcement of Article 44 on social issues.

On balance, respondents thought the government had done a good job as much as a bad job.

The poem urged farmers to not lose their morale or leave their homes. The government has been trying to solve their problems with its Pracha Rat (people’s state) policy and trusted that this was the way to get them out of trouble, the poem says.

The government would hurry to solve these issues as soon as possible, the “Farmers’ Soul Soothing Poem” reads.

PM Prayut penned his previous poem for the Cabinet just last week, aiming to boost their morale by encouraging them to remain focused and work tirelessly for the people.

The poem urged them not to give up if they encountered struggles along the way when working for the people, and to use their wisdom instead to overcome problems.

“Be focused and correct things, one after another. People’s happiness is in our hands,” read the final lines of his morale-boosting verse.

The poem – titled “Morale for you, the Cabinet” – was the third of three recently written by the PM. He continued writing despite the fact that he had earlier said he would “rather keep his mouth shut” after his previous poems sparked a brief verbal tussle among established poets. The poets were split over the PM’s verse, and some appended new stanzas to his efforts.

The heads of media regulatory organisations from Sweden, Australia, Indonesia and Myanmar shared their experiences at the seminar last week, which was organised to mark the 20th anniversary of the Thai National Press Council (NPC), as well as the start of self-regulation in Thailand.

In Thailand, however, there has been an attempt to control the media through proposed legislation to introduce a professional media council with the authority to severely penalise practitioners – a contradiction of the self-regulation adopted elsewhere.

Members of the Thai public have shown support for such a repressive move.

Press ombudsman Ola Sigvardsson from Sweden, which is ranked among the world’s top practitioners of press freedom, said that self-regulation had been around in his country for more than 100 years, proving that the practice works.

Unlike in Thailand, where a lot of people do not have trust in the media, there was a strong consensus in Swedish society, including among politicians, that self-regulation helped ensure “ethical consciousness” in the media industry, Sigvardsson said.

The Swedish press ombudsman said that almost everything was allowed to print in his country, however personal privacy is protected and incitement to hate crimes is not permitted.

The country took reader complaints seriously, he said. When a complaint was received, the ombudsman would try to help the conflicting parties reach a settlement by allowing the newspaper to defend itself and the complainant to reply, he added.

If the newspaper were found guilty, it would be fined by the press council or face legal action brought about by the complainant, Sigvardsson explained.

The Swedish ombudsman’s office received as many as 400 complaints every year, and this contributed to strengthening the self-regulation regime, Sigvardsson said.

Likewise in Australia, the press council was responsible for handling public complaints against the media and promoting media professional standards as well as freedom of expression.

David Weisbrot, chairman of the Australian Press Council, explained that the council had the responsibility to consider complaints and rectify issues involving the print media. In addition, the media was encouraged to publish readers’ complaints and concerns as well as cover matters of public interests, he said.

Each year, the council received more than 700 complaints from readers and it was able to resolve about 75 per cent of them, Weisbrot said.

Australian newspapers are required to publish the council’s judgements, which normally call for the media to apologise or take action to compensate complainants, Weisbrot said.

Thailand’s Asean neighbours Indonesia and Myanmar had a similar self-regulatory system and were serious about responding to audience complaints. In Indonesia, Ahmad Djauhar Tasan, vice chairman of the press council, said council resolutions were not legally binding, but they relied on social sanction in rectifying the situation.

Normally, it would give the conflicting parties an equal opportunity to defend or reply concerning complaints about press coverage. Tasan said that this was the most effective measure, but if it were not successful the council could also act as a mediator to help find a resolution.

The last resorts were legal action and social boycotts, he said.

In Myanmar, Aung Hla Tun, vice chairman of the press council, said that a self-regulatory system had been adopted recently when the country transitioned to democratic civilian rule.

The council, he said, was an independent organisation that helped readers and publishers reach agreement in cases of conflict.

He said that it received about300 complaints every year.

The council would review the complaints carefully and make sure responsible outlets respond to them.

Newspapers were asked to publish the council’s resolutions or apologise after the council has ruled on the case, he added.

Meanwhile in Thailand, Chavarong Limpattamapanee, head of the Thai NPC, said that the media is facing a number of challenges threatening self-regulation. Among them was legislation by the junta-appointed reform assembly, which proposed that state representatives sit on a professional council that would have the authority to penalise the media.

Chavarong said that media organisations were working to reform the industry in a bid to protect press freedom and maintain self-regulation.

In the latest amendment of the council’s charter, internal ombudsmen have been introduced. All media members should adopt the practice to ensure professional standards in their agencies, he said.

The NPC would make sure all outlets follow the rules, he said. However, he was also counting on members of the public to help improve the effectiveness of the self-regulation body.

Unlike the other countries, Chavarong said the Thai NPC received only 10 to 20 complaints each year. The council was looking to facilitate channels for audiences to voice their thoughts so the media can improve. These channels included mobile applications, he said.

The council was also trying to discuss with the government ways to overturn the controversial legislation, which is viewed as a critical threat to self-regulation and press freedom, he said.

Yingluck on Friday asked the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders to seek a verdict from the Constitutional Court over the matter.

The ex-PM is being tried by the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders. She is accused of negligence for failing to stop irregularities stemming from her government’s rice-pledging scheme.

In her petition, she pointed out that Article 235 of the new charter requires the court to base its consideration based upon the inquiry file of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC). She said that this contradicted the 1999 law on the court’s procedures, which requires that the court mainly rely on the report by the relevant NACC committee.

The judges trying Yingluck’s case have accepted her petition for consideration. The court will make a decision as to whether to refer the matter to the Constitutional Court for an interpretation.