“I am not ill, as you can see now,” said Prawit, who is in charge of the government’s security affairs.

During the long Songkran holidays, there had been media reports, quoting Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha, that his deputy was ill and had received treatment for heart disease.

Prawit was playfully asked by a Government House reporter to flex a muscle in order to show that he remained fit.

He declined to do so and responded: “Why all the fuss?”