Thai government poll apparently shows 99 per cent of citizens are happy with the leadership

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Thailand's military-ruled government has claimed that 99 per cent of the country's people are happy with its performance since it took power in a coup last year.

The survey by the government-run National Statistics Office comes as Prayuth Chan-Ocha, the Thai prime minister, and his ruling National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) are struggling to kick start Thailand’s slumping economy.

Of the 2,700 people questioned for the poll, 99.3 per cent said they were satisfied with the government’s overall performance, while 98.9 per cent said they were confident the NCPO could solve Thailand’s problems.

But the fact that the survey was conducted by a government ministry has raised doubts as to whether it was a truly independent poll.

Speaking on Wednesday, the prime minister defended his crackdown on dissent and brushed aside criticism of his government’s human rights record.

The former general also mounted a vigorous defence of the May 2014 coup that saw the junta topple the electedgovernment of Yingluck Shinawatra.

“Some people say I came to power illegitimately. I’d say we came in to fix things and push needed reforms,” said Mr Prayuth.

Since seizing power, the junta has been accused of gagging the media and of detaining an ever-increasing number of critics of the regime for so-called "attitude adjustment".

There has also been a steep rise in the number of people prosecuted under Thailand’s lese-majeste laws, which are designed to protect the country’s revered monarchy and are some of the strictest in the world. Human rights groups have claimed that the laws are being used to silence the junta's political opponents.

Mr Prayuth dismissed those criticisms during a speech at Government House in Bangkok on Wednesday morning, in which he outlined the NCPO’s achievements over the last year and said that Thailand remained on course to hold elections again in 2017.

“To those who say we have lost our democracy, I’d say I am sorry, but we cannot afford to waste the time we have now to change our country,” said Mr Prayuth. “Those accusing me of breaching human rights need to understand that we are operating in unusual circumstances.”

Mr Prayuth has also sought to boost morale in Thailand by penning his own songs. His latest tune, Because You Are Thailand, was released at the beginning of the week and includes lyrics such as, "If we join hands and breathe together, the day we hope for is not far away". It follows the release of Returning Happiness to the People, which Mr Prayuth composed soon after the 2014 coup.

But the country remains mired in an economic slump. A combination of declining exports and record levels of household debt has resulted in the International Monetary Fund slashing its 2016 growth forecast for the Thai economy from four per cent to 3.2 per cent.

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