Thai soldiers can now arrest criminal suspects with police-like powers

Thailand's junta chief has given the military broad new police-like powers to arrest and detain criminal suspects. Pic: AP

31st March 2016 

SOLDIERS in Thailand have been accorded new police-like powers that enable them to arrest and detain criminal suspects, drawing criticisms from human rights groups.

The order was issued by junta chief and Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha on Tuesday, a move which has been seen as part of a wider crackdown on civil liberties in the country.

International human rights groups have called it a “recipe for human rights violations”.

On Tuesday, authorities charged a woman with sedition for posting a Facebook photo of herself holding a red plastic bowl seen as “too politically-charged”.

Since leading the May 2014 coup, Prayuth has restricted freedom of speech, barred public protests and detained critics of the junta.

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According to the Bangkok Post, the regime claimed a shortage of police officers as a key factor behind its decision.

An earlier report in the paper indicated that soldiers ranked sub-lieutenant and above were allowed to summon, arrest and detain suspects in a wide range of crimes, including extortion, labor abuse and human trafficking.

They will also be allowed to search property without having to obtain a warrant.

In response to the newly-accorded powers, the paper quoted Human Rights Watch researcher Sunai Phasuk as saying that the order showed an ongoing trend by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) to enforce unchecked powers with total impunity.

“There are no check or oversight mechanisms regulating actions carried out under the government’s plan to crack down on ‘mafia’ and ‘influential’ criminal figures. That is very alarming,” Sunai said, adding that the NCPO did not tolerate any form of scrutiny or criticism.

Additional reporting by Associated Press