Thailand martial law ‘rebranded’ to ‘dictator law’

Thai Army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha gestures during a news conference at The Army Club after the army declared martial law nationwide to restore order, in Bangkok May 20, 2014.  Thailand's army declared martial law nationwide on Tuesday to restore order after six months of street protests that have left the country without a proper functioning government, but denied that the surprise move amounted to a military coup.  REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha   (THAILAND - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST MILITARY)

Thailand’s ruling junta has lifted martial law, but essentially still retains power over the country.

The Thai junta, which staged a coup in the country 10 months ago, said it has lifted martial law, but in fact has not eased the sweeping powers of its military if in the name of national security.

The military-installed prime minister and junta chief, Prayuth Chan-ocha, has instead invoked a special measure, Article 44 to the country’s interim constitution, which allows security forces to continue to make arrests without court warrants and detain people without charge, according to a Reuters report.

“We have lifted martial law around the country,” the junta said in a televised statement yesterday.

The move comes after Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej gave his approval to lift martial law, which had banned all political gatherings and gave the military wide-ranging powers.

Thailand’s military seized power on May 22, ousting the former government following months of upheaval and sometimes violent street protests in the capital Bangkok.

According to reports, the junta faced growing pressure from foreign governments and human rights groups to lift martial law, which made the country “look bad”. Business communities also rallied for the move, which it said scared off foreign investment and affected tourism, which accounts for almost 10% of the country’s GDP, skift reports.

“Tour operators called it a tourist deterrent — partly because many insurance companies won’t cover travellers to countries under martial law,” the news site states.

However, under Article 44, which some Thai media have referred to as “the dictator law”, the junta still retains power to carry out orders in the name of national security.

Human Rights Watch told skift the move “will mark Thailand’s deepening descent into dictatorship”.

“Thailand’s friends abroad should not be fooled by this obvious sleight of hand by the junta leader to replace martial law with a constitutional provision that effectively provides unlimited and unaccountable powers,” Human Rights Watch Asia director, Brad Adams, told the website.

“From the outside, the lifting of martial law is good news for business and tourism,” a political scientist and director of the Institute of Security and International Studies at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University, Thitinan Pongsudhirak said, skift reports.

“But from the inside, we’re functionally in the same boat,” he said about Article 44.

“Similar restrictions are still in place. And where there are pockets of dissent and political expression it is likely to be more draconian.”

Under Article 44 Thailand military forces will be allowed to “catch anyone and hand them over to an investigation team”, and search buildings in the interests of national security, the statement said.

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