Time the military eased its iron grip

The government of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has been firm in its stance of maintaining martial law, which has been in place for almost five months, despite calls from the tourism industry to lift the measure.
General Prayut said on Tuesday that martial law would remain, to ensure security, until sweeping national reforms are in place. A step-by-step easing of the law or lifting it in certain areas would be considered when the situation improves, he added.
Prayut cited political “undercurrents” that have continued to exist since the last government was ousted on May 22.
Martial law was declared two days before the military seized power in a bloodless coup led by General Prayut, then Army chief. The power seizure came after months of street protests and political violence.
Martial law has caused serious concern among the business community, notably the tourism sector, where it is viewed as a deterrent for visitors.
Tourism industry executives have called for it to be lifted – or at least eased in popular destinations – so as to restore visitor confidence and boost arrivals. “Martial law should be lifted soon. If it continues, the tourism sector will continue to face difficulties,” said Supawan Tanomkieatipume, vice president for marketing at Thai Hotels Association. She added that hotels, especially in Bangkok, would continue to suffer through the imminent high season. The Tourism Council of Thailand’s Pornthip Hirunkate said that, with military law maintained, the entire sector could lose huge amounts of business over the next three or four months as the country enters its busiest tourism period. “During the high season the country gets about 10 million visitors, who make up 40 per cent of all annual arrivals. But this year we may not see that number,” she said. Supant Mongkolsuthree, chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries, suggested that the law be lifted in areas with no security concerns in order to make it easier for tourists to acquire travel insurance.
However, the fact is that, although tourism is important to Thailand, the priority in this case should be the safety of the public.
Despite the coup and martial law, several million foreign tourists have visited Thailand this year, though the original target of 26.2 million might not be met. The Tourism and Sports Ministry now estimates 25.5 million tourists by the year-end. Tourism revenue is expected to decline from last year’s Bt2 trillion to Bt1.8 trillion this year.
Political violence has subsided since martial law was declared, with militants seemingly discouraged by the measure and the military’s tough stance against troublemakers.
The country has been peaceful for more than four months now, in stark contrast to the situation before the coup, when political violence targeted mostly at anti-government protests occurred almost daily.
However, Thailand simply cannot afford to maintain martial law forever. Aside from the losses to the economy, the draconian security measure damages the image of both the government and the country as a whole.
The government must begin lifting martial law in areas where there is no threat of political violence, and particularly in provinces that are popular tourist destinations.