Reform police before granting more power

The request involves crimes with a statue of limitations of at least three years. The police are famous for pursuing guilty parties with little regard for the law. The two defendants in the foul murder of two British tourists on Koh Tao were sentenced to death based on DNA analysis by a police lab that was not certified to do such analysis. The “confessions” presented in court were evidently taken before the suspects had been informed of their rights to silence and legal representation, thereby making those purported confessions inadmissible under the Criminal Code.
In addition, the police force needs drastic reform, as shown by the recommendations of the government-appointed commission under Police General Vasit Dejkunjorn. Without such reforms, it should not be trusted to handle the added powers it requests. Prime Minister Prayut insists that he still needs Section 44 of the interim charter, giving him absolute power, to ensure law and order. He should now use those powers to update the Vasit Commission’s recommendations and fully implement them. For starters, he should boost police compensation, decentralise the force and make it accountable to the localities whose citizens they protect and serve. Then, and only then, can we consider the wiretap request.
Burin Kantabutra