BANGKOK For four years, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha heaped insults on Thailand's politicians, all the while pointing to his military pedigree -- former army chief, coup leader, head of the ruling junta -- as proof of his superiority to elected lawmakers. Now, the famously short-tempered strongman is setting his sights on a career in politics himself.
Prayuth betrayed his intentions during recent forays into the provinces, where he hobnobbed with leaders of powerful political clans who command sizeable rural vote banks. One visit in mid-December to Ratchaburi, a province west of Bangkok, was arranged by a senior Bangkok-based general, according to a political insider. It saw Prayuth teeing off for a round of golf with influential provincial leaders.
