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A video of Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-O-cha apparently signing an autograph in a Death Note notebook has gone viral on TikTok recently.
At the time of writing, the video has amassed 21.3 million views on TikTok.
Tricked into signing a Death Note
In the video, a man wearing a blue-coloured shirt gave Prayuth a pen and gestured for him to write on a page from a book which was already open.
Prayuth took the pen from the man and started to write on the page while the man could be seen grinning from ear to ear.
The man then flipped the book the moment Prayuth finished signing, showing the words 'Death Note'.
You can watch the video for yourself here:
@rx25z ได้ยินว่าลุงมาหา #อ่ะขอลายเซ็นสะหน่อย #ลูงตู่ ♬ original sound - สุทธิศักดิ์ พนาลี - user37811891540
What is a Death Note?
Death Note is a popular Japanese manga series which has been adapted into anime, movies and tv shows.
It follows the life of a teenage boy who finds himself in possession of a mysterious notebook, the titular Death Note, that can kill anyone whose name has been written in the book.
You can buy a Death Note inspired notebook on Shopee and Amazon.
Image via Amazon.
Image via Shopee.
A popular trend on TikTok
Making unsuspecting people sign their name on a Death Note is in fact a popular trend on TikTok.
@weebeffect He signed the death note 😂😂 #deathnote #anime #animeedit #animetiktok #weeb #fyp ♬ Buttercup - Jack Stauber
The key point of the trend would be capturing the reaction of the signee the moment they found out they have just signed their name in a Death Note.
@heythomask tmw everyone thought I was Loid Forger.. and yes we killed snoopy. #deathnote #afa #afa2022 #cosplay ♬ カタコト - sloppy dim
Who is Prayuth?
Prayuth is a controversial figure in Thailand's politics.
He was the former Chief of the Royal Thai Army and became the country's prime minister in 2014 after seizing power in a coup, following six months of political crisis.
Since then, Prayuth's military government has lost popularity with the Thai public.
In 2020, young people marched on the street calling for a new constitution and asking for a reduction in the powers of the king. Many held up the three-finger salute which is a symbol of opposition after Prayuth's 2014 coup.
A recent poll found that Prayuth's party was behind others in voting support.
Prayuth's attempt to change public perception
Thailand will be holding its general election this Sunday (May 14) and it is uncertain if Prayuth will continue to extend its grip on power.
The general public in Thailand "don't want to see General Prayuth remain in power any longer," said Termsak Chalermpalanupap, a researcher who has served at the Asean Secretariat for 20 years and is currently a visiting fellow at the Thailand Studies Programme of the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute.
"His candidate is not very popular," Termsak told Mothership during an interview. "And that’s why General Prayuth himself has to go out to be seen, he is even trying to change his image to become more friendly."
"If you look at his new video clip, he tries to be a down-to-earth person, friendly," Termsak added.
It is perhaps this attempt to change public perception that the public can now approach the prime minister to pull such a prank.
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Top image via @rx25z/TikTok.