DRAFT THAI SECURITY LAW FOUNDERING?

C O N F I D E N T I A L BANGKOK 003898

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP/MLS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/17/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM ASEC KDEM TH
SUBJECT: DRAFT THAI SECURITY LAW FOUNDERING?

REF: A. BANGKOK 03502 (SUMMARY OF DRAFT SECURITY LAW)

B. BANGKOK 03402 (DOUBLE SECRET LEGISLATION)

C. BANGKOK 01754 (BETTER LIVING THROUGH ISOC)

Classified By: Political Counselor Susan M. Sutton. Reason 1.4 (b,d)


1. (C) Passage of the draft security law expanding the power
of the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) is looking
less and less certain. Criticism of the draft bill has grown
in recent weeks, with human rights activists, editorialists
and commentators taking aim at the legislation as an
Army-backed power play. Government officials have tried in
vain to portray the new law as both necessary and benevolent,
but their arguments appear to have little resonance thus far.


2. (C) Prime Minister Surayud, in public comments on July 13,
appeared to open the door to delay the bill further (Note:
the draft has not yet been submitted to the legislature. End
Note),saying that his government was open to suggestions on
improving the law and promising that "the government will not
proceed...if highly controversial issues are not settled
first." The PM invited critics to attend a public hearing on
the draft bill at the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) on
July 16.


3. (C) The public forum, however, did not appear to advance
the government's cause. Human rights activists were even
joined by noted security scholar (and EMBASSY contact)
Panitan Watanayakorn--known for his close ties to the
military--in critiquing the proposed security structure. In
comments to reporters at the forum, NLA Speaker Meechai
Ruchuphan emphasized the need for careful scrutiny of the
draft law before its passage: a formulation that some of our
contacts believe signals the NLA's preference to tie up the
bill in debate and prevent its passage. The chief government
proponent at the forum, Army Chief of Staff Montri
Sangkhasap, even suggested that the bill may have to wait
until an elected government takes office.


4. (C) COMMENT. The NLA's calendar is getting short and the
security act may yet join other, overly ambitious and poorly
explained bills in the "permanent slumber" category. RTG
officials have yet to make a compelling argument for the new
law: political tensions are low and the Emergency Decree
providing expanded authorities in South has been extended for
another three months. The government's advocacy of the bill
has mostly backfired so far, raising the specter of a
military power grab at a time when the coup leadership is
already losing popularity. The (so far) effective fight
against the draft shows that Thai civil society is still
alive and kicking.
BOYCE