Govt urged to transfer all ongoing cases from Military Court

Their remarks came as the order, enacted under Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s sweeping power according to the interim charter’s Article 44, is applicable only to cases to be brought up from Monday, when the order becomes effective.

The order also retained permission for military officials to carry out a policing role.

 “General Prayut should demonstrate that he is sincere about ending military trials of civilians by dropping all pending cases or transferring them to civilian courts,” said Brad Adams, Human Rights Watch’s Asia Director.

The junta’s move, Adams said, also appeared aimed at deflecting international criticism against Thailand at the United Nations Human Rights Council, where the Kingdom will update its rights progress following the UNHRC’s Universal Periodic Review in May.

“No one should be fooled by the Thai junta’s sleight of hand just before the Human Rights Council begins meeting in Geneva,” the director said. “The decision will spare many Thai civilians the injustice of a military trial, but repressive military rule is still a reality in Thailand.”

Josef Roy Benedict, deputy director of Amnesty International’s Southeast Asia and Pacific Regional office, shared similar concerns.

 “If the Thai authorities are serious about reforms, they must drop all charges against people who were peacefully exercising their human rights,” Benedict said. “[They must also] release all those serving sentences for peaceful dissent, expunge the criminal records of anyone convicted for doing so, and transfer all remaining cases to civilian courts,” 

Benedict also called on the ruling junta to repeal its previous orders left intact by the latest one, including those allowing the army to arbitrarily arrest people and detain them incommunicado for up to a week.

It should also reconsider its penalty against “peaceful demonstrations,” the Benedict said, referring to the NCPO announcement No 7/2014 banning political gatherings of more than four people.