He explained that was why he chose the term “Thai Niyom”, which can be translated as “Thai-ism” or “the Thai way”, to describe the country’s democracy.

“How much do Thai people take part in national development? How deeply do Thai people understand democracy? We don’t need to follow developed countries. Thailand may be different,” Prayut said.

“But basically, we need to play by the world’s rules – whether it is democracy or anything else. We must not forget the principles of democracy,” he added.

The prime minister was speaking while presiding over an event to mark National Teachers’ Day at the Teachers’ Council of Thailand Auditorium.

“For me, the Thai way of democracy is about how to make Thai people have a good understanding about democracy, and how to make Thai people do good things for good results for the country,” he said.

The prime minister first mentioned the term “Thai Niyom” in his Children’s Day speech last Saturday, which led to a lot of speculation about the intended meaning and his real intention.