Thailand’s new leader now wears three hats. Mr Prayuth is the head of a group that calls itself the National Council of Peace and Order; it has been running the country since he and his arch-royalist classmates sprung a coup d’état in May. As on the day when he ousted a civilian government, Mr Prayuth remains the army chief. From Monday, he is also the prime minister. It might look like the concentration of power has just become that much more extreme, but really this is only a function of the army’s wish to put a civilian veneer on its rule.