Chalermchai and Deputy Army Commander-in-Chief General Sasin Thongphakdee joined troops of all levels at the Army headquarters to take the physical fitness test.

Chalermchai managed to do 50 push-ups and 60 sit-ups and then finished a two-kilometre run in 10:39 minutes.

Chalermchai said the test was the last one for his military career.

He added that he wanted to see Army personnel in good health so he had ordered four physical tests a year as part of the “Smart Man Smart Soldier” project.

Chalermchai said the latest test of over 300 battalion commanders found that all of them achieved scores of 100 per cent, which was a good statistic for the Army.

After his mandatory retirement at the age of 60, he will continue to run on a treadmill, swim and play football to remain physically fit, because he believes that good physical health will give him good mental health as well, the Army chief concluded.

This attack comes a week after two mysterious men threw a bucket of fermented fish at the activist before fleeing on a motorcycle without a licence plate.

Ekachai said he was attacked by three men in Soi Lat Phrao 109 yesterday. Two of them initially tried to run him over with their motorcycle, also without a licence plate, and then strike him with a helmet. They missed both times. Then a third man intervened and succeeded in hitting the activist on his arms and neck with a large wooden stick.

Ekachai’s left arm is broken and needs to be put in a cast, fellow activist Nuttaa Mahattana, who took him to Nopparat Ratchathani Hospital, said.

Meanwhile, police officers at Lat Phrao Police Station have said the case will be investigated.

The anti-junta activist has made repeated attempts to get near the junta’s No 2, in a symbolic move against both Prawit and the ongoing investigation into his luxury watch collection since the scandal emerged last December.

Ekachai was stopped by officers every time he got close to Government House or Prawit’s residence.

He is also said to have faced occasional threats from different sources.

The investigation over what some have suggested could be the 72-year-old general’s irregular wealth and alleged concealment of assets has gone almost nowhere under the National Anti-Corruption Commission, whose key members serve in office through the approval of junta-appointed legislators.

Lt-Gen Thanakorn Thammawinthorn, commander of the area which covers 20 northeastern provinces, said that he did not give the green light to any politicians making moves in the area under his jurisdiction.

A group of veteran politicians called Sam Mit (Three Friends) made the claim recently. They reportedly wooed former MPs in the northeast to join them ahead of the next election. The group is linked to a new political party called Palang Pracharat, which plans to nominate Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha as its PM candidate in the election.

Thanakorn said on Wednesday that those politicians have the right to visit people personally and that no laws have been violated.

He maintained that legal action would be taken if any member of Sam Mit broke the law. “We have officials to monitor political groups,” he said, adding that he had informed the authorities regarding the “untrue claim” about him.

The commander heads the peacekeeping force for the northeast set up after the coup in May 2014.

He said his personal focus was on enforcing the ban on political gatherings of five people or more, which was imposed by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) when it came to power. “We will continue to enforce this prohibition until the NCPO lifts the ban,” he added.

Thanakorn also defended the Second Army Area following a report that one of its high-ranking officers asked politicians to help the junta retain its power. He said that it was a personal matter, as it was likely the officer might have known the politicians personally.

He said leaders of the red shirts, the most powerful political group in the northeast, had cooperated well with the authorities. “They have done no damage and they follow the rules,” he added.

The commander was speaking to reporters at Napalai Hotel in Udon Thani. A gathering was held there as part of the army’s public relations project. It was attended by senior officials and high-ranking officers from the Internal Security Operations Command from the northeastern provinces of Udon Thani, Nong Khai, Bueng Kan and Nakhon Phanom.

Thanakorn said his area had remained peaceful. He expected no serious problems in the run-up to the next election, promised by the junta to be held in February.

The deputy PM’s Spokesman Kongcheep Tantrawanich announced the appointment yesterday and said it was done to make his work more efficient.

Surachet will report to him and to Prawit, Kongcheep said, adding that the new assistant spokesman will also help with legal affairs, cooperation with foreign agencies as well as communication with the public.

However, Surachet has said that he has not been given any assignments as yet, though he presumes his new work would involve assisting Kongcheep and providing information about security as well as international and domestic crimes.

He said he also planned to address the loan-shark issue, and would advise debtors to be more self-sufficient and refrain from spending beyond their means. He added that the creditors should not take advantage of others.

The new assistant spokesman also said he would continue working on other issues, such as money-related scams.

WHILE maintaining he wants a general election in February, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday claimed he had received support from many political parties to “stay longer” in power.

During his visit to Chumphon province for a mobile Cabinet meeting, the PM also told the southerners to not vote the same way again.

The South has been a political stronghold for the Democrat Party, which has won almost all – if not all – House seats in the 14 provinces of the region.

General Prayut, who also heads the ruling National Council for Peace and Order, has also previously told voters in the North and Northeast “not to make the same mistake again” during his visits to the regions. The North and Northeast were Pheu Thai Party strongholds in previous elections. Prayut has often blamed politicians for the country’s previous political conflicts.

The Cabinet yesterday convened its mobile meeting in the Chumphon campus of the King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Prince of Chumphon campus.

“In the future election, do not do the same [as you did in the past] again,” Prayut told the some 300 people gathered to greet him inside the campus. He suggested that voters base their decisions on the policy platforms of contesting parties and not on financial contributions made by local politicians at social functions.

“I have not decided which political party I will join. Many people support me. They want me to stay longer. I don’t know what to do,” Prayut told the gathering. The premier also reiterated his recent promise to make clear his political future next month.

He maintained yesterday that his latest trip to Ranong and Chumphon in the South was not aimed at wooing support.

Earlier yesterday, Prayut also said the election roadmap remained unchanged.

“Agencies say different things, but in the end, adjustments will be needed. I am still firm on February,” he said.

At a joint meeting with the Cabinet in Chumphon yesterday, representatives from the private sector proposed 34 development projects for the South with a combined budget price tag of Bt200 billion. The proposal was approved, said Wattana Thanasakcharoen, chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce’s southern economic development committee.

He said most of the projects were related to the development of infrastructure, particularly transport. These included a project to build a rail link between the eastern and western coasts of the southern peninsula.

The National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) yesterday also proposed to the Cabinet a project to develop a southern economic corridor.

NESDB secretary-general Tossaporn Sirisamphan said the project would initially cover four southern provinces – Chumphon, Ranong, Surat Thani and Nakhon Si Thammarat –- and could come into existence in three to five years.

In response to the private sector’s proposed development projects, the prime minister said yesterday that his Cabinet accepted the proposal for consideration.

“But we didn’t approve anything yet,” he said, adding that it was unlikely his Cabinet would approve all proposed projects, as they would need huge sums.

“We have to look at the budget and set the order of priorities for the projects. The focus will be on the southern economic corridor that is needed to create added value,” he said.

While meeting local residents, the PM said he just wanted encouragement from the people. He signalled “I love you” and drew loud applause from the crowd. Some in the crowd shouted, “We love Uncle Too”, calling Prayut by his nickname.

The junta leader thanked them and asked the locals to “think long-term for the country”. He also claimed that though he did not come to power through an election, his government had in four years achieved more than its elected predecessors did.

The seven were chosen from among 29 applicants and come from a mix of backgrounds as required by the new Constitution. The shortlisted candidates will be vetted by a committee of the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) before being voted in by the assembly.

Two of the finalists, – Somsri Hananantasuk and Pairoj Pholpetch – come with media backgrounds. The former is a one-time member of the policy committee of the state-funded television channel Thai PBS, while the latter is a current member of that committee.

Another two – Pitikan Sitthidet and Pornprapai Kanchanarin – are, respectively, the former directors of the Justice Ministry’s department of rights and liberty protection and the Foreign Ministry’s department of international organisation.

Social activists Suraphong Kongchantueg and Boontan Tansuthepveeravong are also among the shortlisted candidates.

Lawyer Suraphong has an elaborate background in social activism, largely on issues related to minority and stateless people, while Boontan is secretary-general of the Campaign for Popular Democracy and Foundation for Human Rights and Development.

The last candidate, Jaturong Boonyaratanasunthorn, is an expert on social welfare from Huachiew Chalermprakiet University.

All seven finalists will be further scrutinised by an NLA committee over the next 45 days before a vote is taken on their endorsement.

The current NHRC members were dismissed under a new organic law but are acting as caretakers.

During its mobile meeting at King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Lat Krabang of Chumphon campus, the Cabinet approved the promotion of Anan Suwannarat to the senior-most position at the ministry.

The appointment takes effect on October 1.

Via her Twitter account @PouYingluck, the self-exiled ex-premier retweeted Gen Prayut Chan-o-ch’s encounter on Monday during his field trip in Ranong province with an officer who happened to share the same name as her.

“This is a good name because this name used to be PM,” Prayut jokingly said to Yingluck the officer. “I don’t blame anyone. Just do the right things.”

Yingluck the ex-PM tweeted: “I heard that he [Prayut] told Yingluck to do the right things. I would like to ask the ex-Army chief whether he could still remember this name.”

She apparently referred to Prayut by his former title, the one he had while serving under the Yingluck government and subsequently led the military coup to oust her.

The online reaction from Yingluck, who usually maintains a composed manner, quickly spread around Twitter and was retweeted more than 1,600 times in just two hours.

Prayut and Yingluck have been at loggerheads ever since Yingluck was ousted in 2014, followed by the prosecution against her and her government colleagues for the its rice-pledging scheme, which resulted in her being handed a five-year prison sentence without suspension.

Yingluck pulled off a dramatic escape, however, failing to show up on the day of the Supreme Court’s ruling. It was later discovered that she had escaped from Thailand a few days before the day of the ruling, after which those who had helped her flee were only punished mildly.

Yingluck has kept a low profile for months, with photos of her only being occasionally released or leaked online, before recently turning becoming active online again.

She appears to spend most of time with her brother, also self-exiled ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra, who was jailed on corruption charges for two years in 2008. They have been photographed in several countries, mostly the United Kingdom and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

The Prayut government has vowed to bring the Shinawatra siblings back to Thailand to serve their prison sentences but so far, its efforts have not been fruitful, with Thaksin and Yingluck only wanted domestically.

The election date could be any Sunday between February 24 and May 5, Wissanu said. His discussions with the new election commissioners lasted about 90 minutes. The schedule is in line with the time frame set in the current Constitution, which came into effect in April last year.

“We talked about 10 issues. I briefed them about all matters that have been going on – nothing that everyone didn’t already know, though,” he said. “And we talked about the election date and how to lift the political ban.”

Wissanu’s remarks came after the new EC announced the possible election date during the past weekend, a couple of days after they took office. The schedule, however, followed the road map to democracy announced in June when the junta held a meeting with political parties.

The ban has been a major concern among politicians. With the election fast approaching, the junta has yet to revoke the political restrictions in place since the coup in May 2014. This makes it inconvenient for political parties to make preparations for the first general election in about five years that also may see many changes due to new legislation.

Wissanu, who is in charge of the government’s legal affairs, said that when the last two organic laws are promulgated next month, the political ban will be partially lifted and political parties will have some freedom. They would at least be able to hold a general assembly to select new party executives, for example, he explained.

The ban would be fully lifted after the organic laws are effective – 90 days after the promulgation and 150 days before the election, he said.

So, during the 150 days, political parties can enjoy freedom and have time for election campaigning, Wissanu explained.

While declining to specify the determining factors for the exact election date, Wissanu said political parties would be unaffected. They would have enough time for campaigning, and there was no reason for them to be concerned, he said.

“Say, if the ban is lifted on the first day of the 150 days and the election takes place on the last day, it means they have plenty of time,” the deputy PM said. “Normally, they only have around a month for election campaigning.”

Regarding the EC issue on appointing provincial electoral inspectors, Wissanu said yesterday that the new EC members would take the baton from their predecessors and endorse the inspectors selected while the outgoing EC members were still in office, unless certain nominations are opposed by the involved agency or members of the public, he said.

Regarding a controversy after some legislators suggested that the outgoing EC members should have left the selection of inspectors to their successors, Wissanu said he had talked to the new commissioners and they agreed that the selection fit well with the time frame.

Going to a province one day ahead is a usual ritual for the Prayut-led Cabinet, which is also seen as a means to boost his government’s popularity.

Ranong governor Jatupot Piyamputra said the province has put forward proposals for the construction of a four-lane road connecting Ranong with Chumpon, which will cost Bt2.9 billion; a Bt140-million gymnasium and sports rehab centre; and the construction of two reservoirs worth Bt300 million.

The province also wants the Cabinet to set a specific line between forested area and the city area, so land can be used legally for investment purposes.

Prayut and his ministers spent most of on Monday soaking in hot springs, doing yoga and visiting the Ranong port, which is one of the logistical spots along the Andaman sea.

There are plans to develop this seaside province into a trading and logistics hub in line with the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle as well as economic cooperation in the Bay of Bengal region.

Ranong, a tourist destination, is also pushing to promote alternative medical care with its hot springs, and is also focusing on the rehabilitation and recovery of natural maritime resources.

Prayut said one of his top priorities would be to give the province better transportation and land infrastructure in order to create “nationwide seamless connectivity”.

The premier spent time talking to locals and even took selfies with them. Some were heard telling him that he “should stay PM for long without any election”, to which he only responded with a smile.