Thai Govt Seeks Blanket Amnesty for ‘Honest Use of Force’

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Junta Seeks Blanket Amnesty for ‘Honest Use of Force’

By Teeranai Charuvastra

Staff Reporter

Junta chairman Prayuth Chan-ocha speaks to reporters Nov. 10 at Government House in Bangkok.

BANGKOK — The junta has asked drafters of the new constitution to include a blanket amnesty for any use of force deemed to protect state security.

The request is among 10 suggestions made public Wednesday to the Constitutional Drafting Committee as part of its process for writing a new charter, after the previous was dissolved when the regime seized power in May 2014.

While most of the items seem innocuous calls for democratic considerations such as more public participation and prime minister term limits, the seventh point urges drafters to insert a clause exempting the military from any civil, criminal or administrative punishment in the event that they use force in defense of national security.

“The state security policy must enshrine the duty of the state to preserve the monarchy and the independence, sovereignty and integrity of state power. Any honest use of force to preserve the security of the state from both domestic and external threats must be exempted from civil, criminal and administrative punishments,” the text reads.

The eighth point also vaguely urges the new constitution guarantee the “political rights” and “freedom of political expression” for military personnel, while the sixth point calls for a special measure to solve unspecified political “dead ends” and “vacuums,” reminiscent of the controversial “chaos clause” of the previous, failed draft document.

Full story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.php?newsid=1448012521

-- Khaosod English 2015-11-21

[shirtless]

Ok whats deemed as honest use of force , Why would you worry about unhappy citizens when you poll so well.

[ezzra]

What about if a honest force was used by dishonest person/s ? what dose it even mean ' honest force?

proportional force that make sense, but honest force...

those wordings leave more ambiguities than clarity...

[Thailand]

Ok whats deemed as honest use of force , Why would you worry about unhappy citizens when you poll so well.

Add to that conscription putting an additional 300,000 armed soldiers per year in to mix and it's not looking too rosy!

[worgeordie]

Well we have had an "Honest mistake", from a former P.M.

and he got away with it.

regards Worgeordie

[Hawk]

Licenced to kill.

[jacky54]

Illegal coups can never be honest

[h90]

Ok whats deemed as honest use of force , Why would you worry about unhappy citizens when you poll so well.

Honest use of force....Some red shirt slap Prayuth....Amnesty it was honest.

Some ISIS kills 10 people....he believed Quran and propaganda...he is crazy but honest....

Prayuth the male Yingluck

[NongKhaiKid]

Does this govt need to ' seek ' anything, doesn't the man just speak and that's it ?

In short order he put the wealth of the junta members off limits and granted a blanket amnesty for the coup.

We all know the drafters will do exactly what they're told,

[h90]

Illegal coups can never be honest

Therefor you write into the next constitution that the coup was legal.....

Only failed coups are illegal. Successful coups declare the previous government illegal and themself legal.

[EnglishJohn]

Ok whats deemed as honest use of force , Why would you worry about unhappy citizens when you poll so well.

Add to that conscription putting an additional 300,000 armed soldiers per year in to mix and it's not looking too rosy!

Not for the terrorists with M79's at least. Or the organizers of this imminent civil uprising you keep telling us about (when the funding is wired through). The rest of us aren't worried. I feel much safer at an Army checkpoint than a police one.

And why do you say 'additional 300,000 armed soldiers per year' ?. Is that just a red-shirt lie to agitate the ignorant ?. From what I read, the ones they pick only need to attend training for 2 months. Do you seriously think the Thai Army is going grow by 300,000 men every year ?.

"It would allow the conscripts to be summoned for a variety of purposes such as helping with disaster relief, enforcing martial law, responding to emergency situations and preparing for war."

The real issue about this (which has gone completely over your head) is that it now takes older people who may have skill in some profession which a developing country needs. Don't worry yourself though, I doubt that applies to you.

[arrowsdawdle]

Ok whats deemed as honest use of force , Why would you worry about unhappy citizens when you poll so well.

"We don't need no stinking badges!"

[arrowsdawdle]

RE the OP, his mom dresses him funny.

[yellowboat]

The junta likes to make things up as the go along; Article 44, a different name for martial law and now "Honest Use of Force". Are the courts in Thailand ever going to be fair and impartial ? It looks as though the junta wants to avoid legal issues too, by offering Amnesty to all those who serve and think like them. This is will go a long way toward reconciliation .

[arrowsdawdle]

Licenced to kill.

They don't want any more blow back for killing journos in live fire zones.

[WhizBang]

Ok whats deemed as honest use of force , Why would you worry about unhappy citizens when you poll so well.

It is honest, of course, if the military deemed it necessary. It is, in other words, a blanket amnesty for anything the military might do, in perpetuity.

[flyingdoc]

Too ambiguous !

[klauskunkel]

not to worry, any use of force by the military will be investigated by the military, honestly.

[losgrad]

"Even honest men mistake oftener in their own favor than other peoples."

Fulke Greville

[Bob12345]

Ok whats deemed as honest use of force

That is easy to answer by looking at a Thai dictionary:

honest: something done by somebody influential/rich/hi-so.

[FangFerang]

The mind boggles. The death of women, children monks and journalists in 2010 is ok. A dozen dead (with casualties on both sides, including a boy burned to death in a red bus) during Suthep's insurrection and all his fans cry foul, and chant Evil Thaksin, Evil Thaksin...

I am actually interested in watching the next few years play out.

This is going to get interesting.

I hope they find a stable place.

[tigermoth]

Licenced to kill.

Yes, exactly. What a ridiculous statement to make by a so called leader. What it means is there can be no accountability by the military to the people. They are the only ones who can judge their own actions. A very very dangerous clause to insert into a constitution. It neans that there is no way Thailand can then call itself a democratic country. It also gives them total control on all media and public opinion.

[wabothai]

007

[Linky]

Would make more sense to have an amnesty on blankets.

[PREM-R]

007

You are right, I can just imagine the headlines after protesters are gunned down by the army "ARTICLE 007 USED TO PROTECT NATIONAL SECURITY"

[tbthailand]

If you have not read the 10 points sent by the junta to the CDC, then you should.

This junta is shameless.... It's not just giving themselves amnesty in advance for killing other Thais, they will enshrine special privileges for themselves into the next constitution which will excuse them from every activity....

8. Civil servants and state officials, especially military personnel, must enjoy the same rights and freedom in every aspect as the civilians. They should not be stripped of their rights and freedoms, including the rights and freedom to political expression, because of their military professions.

This is blanket permission for Generals to continue their extra-curricular activities such as their 'business interests', sitting on national boards, and officially intervening in politics even while still serving in the military.

And this point, well, read it:

3. There should be methods to amend the constitution legally, so that the charter is flexible and ever appropriate to changing times. It will prevent any forceful or violent amendments of the constitution, especially coups d’etat.

I mean, isn't that just completely shameless for this junta to tell their CDC lackeys such nonsense?

[oneday]

Everything they have accused the opposition of doing they are now doing.

Hypocrisy to the max.

[waldroj]

Let them try – if the fools want Thailand to be treated as a pariah state by the rest of the international community (which I suspect will create a problem for TAT tourist-number projections).

The junta continue to demonstrate a complete lack of altruism. No matter how they may justify this to themselves, this only serves to reinforce my belief that Prayut and his cronies are nothing more than plebeian ethical egoists.

Regardless of what they may think they can, and will, do with this pathetic ‘honest use of force’, if they abuse the duties of the State ‘with too much honest force’, they might find that the International Criminal Court may see it differently!

[phoenixdoglover]

This is simply an attempt to formalize what has been "understood" for very long time.

I guess we will find out soon if anyone on the CDC has a shred of integrity.

[joebrown]

Ok whats deemed as honest use of force , Why would you worry about unhappy citizens when you poll so well.

Add to that conscription putting an additional 300,000 armed soldiers per year in to mix and it's not looking too rosy!

Not for the terrorists with M79's at least. Or the organizers of this imminent civil uprising you keep telling us about (when the funding is wired through). The rest of us aren't worried. I feel much safer at an Army checkpoint than a police one.

And why do you say 'additional 300,000 armed soldiers per year' ?. Is that just a red-shirt lie to agitate the ignorant ?. From what I read, the ones they pick only need to attend training for 2 months. Do you seriously think the Thai Army is going grow by 300,000 men every year ?.

"It would allow the conscripts to be summoned for a variety of purposes such as helping with disaster relief, enforcing martial law, responding to emergency situations and preparing for war."

The real issue about this (which has gone completely over your head) is that it now takes older people who may have skill in some profession which a developing country needs. Don't worry yourself though, I doubt that applies to you.

The real issue which hasn't gone over my head is that after 2 months training the conscripts will be held in 'reserve', to be called upon whenever the Junta determine necessary, ie a militia. It is beyond belief that you should say people skilled in a profession are better used for military purposes rather than in their normal civilian capacity serving the needs of a developing economy/country.