Thailand's Prime Minister has rolled out an unusual strategy for dealing with the media - telling reporters they should direct their questions at a life-size cardboard cut-out of himself.

The Thai military junta leader Prayut Chan-O-Cha made the demand of reporters outside Government House in Bangkok.

"Whoever wants to take a picture, ask political questions... about conflict... ask this guy," he told a bemused crowd, pointing to the cut-out placed in front of a microphone.

His antics drew an angry reaction, with some Thai social media users suggesting his casual attitude was inappropriate.

"If you don't have the ability to answer people's questions, how can you solve people's problems?" one person wrote on Facebook.

Another Facebook post accused Mr Prayut of showing "bad manners."

The Thai Prime Minister has garnered a reputation for his rough treatment of the media.

He has previously tossed a banana peel at a cameraman, threatened to smack someone with his podium and pulled a reporter along by the ear.

Many Thais now believe he is remodelling himself as a fun-loving, likeable character instead of a stern ex-general in time for elections slated for later this year.

Mr Prayut seized power in a 2014 coup by deposing then-prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra.