NLA approves a draft amendment to the Criminal Code

NLA approves a draft amendment to the Criminal Code

BANGKOK, 7 November 2015 (NNT) – The National Legislative Assembly has approved an amendment to the law regarding the country’s criminal procedures.

During the NLA sitting on Friday, members of the legislature deliberated on a draft amendment to the Criminal Code, concerning the use of an electronic tracking device on those who are temporarily released on bail.

The draft was earlier vetted by a special committee chaired by Wallop Tangkananurak. The committee discussed the legal use of Electronic Monitoring tags and the demand for less valuable devices in order to allow more people to be granted bail which will help ease the problem of over-crowding inside prisons.

Some NLA members have raised the issue of who should be responsible for the cost of the EM tags and expressed concerns over the financial burden on the government from the expanded use of this device.

Eventually the NLA sitting voted 164 to one, with four abstentions, to pass the draft amendment on its third reading, which has made it an active law.

-- NNT 2015-11-07