Thursday, October 18, 2007

Thai Cabinet drops plan to give army chief special powers

Thai Cabinet drops plan to give army chief special powers
The Business Times 18 October 2007)

(BANGKOK) Thailand's military-backed government said yesterday it has dropped a proposal to give the army chief sweeping powers under a security bill derided by one rights group as a 'silent coup'. Thailand had proposed naming the army chief as head of the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC), the nation's top domestic security body, and granting him sweeping powers of search and detention. The bill was drafted after the military seized power in a bloodless coup in September 2006, toppling the elected government of premier Thaksin Shinawatra. Rights groups had voiced fears that the new measures would give the army chief continued influence over government, even after December elections that are supposed to restore democracy. Human Rights Watch had branded the original bill a 'silent coup' that would give soldiers far-reaching powers usually reserved for police and civil servants in times of emergency. But the Cabinet said yesterday in a statement that the revised draft would not give any special powers to the army chief and would leave the prime minister as head of ISOC with final authority for internal security. The prime minister would still receive broad new powers that would allow him to impose curfews, order arrests, control the media and restrict movements, according to Thai media. Sunai Phasuk, a Thai researcher for Human Rights Watch, said the revised draft left room for abuses and would cast a shadow over the next government.
On paper, 'it creates an impression that a civilian is in control', he said. 'But in fact, the political situation in Thailand will remain unclear after the elections.' The Cabinet on Tuesday approved Dec 23 as the date for the kingdom's first general election since the coup. The polls will be held under a new army-backed Constitution that was approved by voters in the nation's first-ever referendum in August. -- AFP

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