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Published on October 19, 2007

Prime Minister Gen Surayud Chulanont and Deputy Prime Minister General Sonthi Boonyaratglin may claim the coup and the post-coup regime were geared at "restoring" democracy but the Cabinet's approval of the revised Internal Security Bill suggest otherwise.

The bill, which is likely to be approved by the National Legislative Assembly (NLA), will put Thailand into a new era of "guided democracy", if not autocracy.

People must ask for whose security the bill is for.

Is it really for national security or the security of those seeking to rule the kingdom over the rest of us through draconian rules passed off as legitimate laws?

Malaysia and Singapore have been criticised for having such laws and having abused them to suppress and arbitrarily arrest political opponents. Now Thailand is trying to emulate their two southern neighbours.

 The revised bill will allow the Thai prime minister to restrict an individual's movements, order searches, arrest without warrants, prohibit public gatherings and declare a state of emergency indefinitely - all these in the name of national security. With the election coming up soon, all political parties must state their stance on the bill clearly. 

Whether the future PM is elected or appointed by yet another group of future coup makers, the power provided by the law will prove itself a threat to democracy, freedom, human rights and human security.

Although the revised bill will allow those "wrongly" affected by the bill to seek compensation without having to go to court, there is no guarantee how fair and impartial the process will be.

Granted that the process is impartial, nothing can compensate for placing all citizens under the fear of arbitrary search and arrest and possible torture while under detention. Will democracy-loving citizens accept this law if passed? 

If this military regime succeeded, whatever is left of Thai democratic tradition will suffer further blows. Citizens will soon find themselves living in fear of not knowing who may knock on their door late at night. 

But no matter what, people should rightly regard this new bill as an illegitimate bill or law, passed by an equally legitimate regime that is in urgent need to be rid off.

Pravit Rojanaphruk

The Nation