Dark Days In Thailand: Parliament Silenced by Military Junta Threats
"HRW said the assembly appears to be merely a rubber stamp for the junta, instead of placing checks on its wide-ranging powers. It claims that during the presentation of the national budget proposal on Monday, not a single assembly member made a critical comment. After the presentation, Prayuth asked: “Anyone disagree with me?” The room remained silent, according to HRW."
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A 'Dark Day' for Thailand: Prayuth's Appointment as Prime Minister Comes Under Scrutiny
Aug 22, 2014
Politics
CityNews - Critics have slammed the appointment of junta leader General Prayuth Chan-ocha as prime minister, calling it another setback for human rights in Thailand.
“As both prime minister and junta leader, General Prayuth can wield broad power without accountability,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “This marks a dark day for human rights and the future of democracy in Thailand.”
HRW said the assembly appears to be merely a rubber stamp for the junta, instead of placing checks on its wide-ranging powers. It claims that during the presentation of the national budget proposal on Monday, not a single assembly member made a critical comment. After the presentation, Prayuth asked: “Anyone disagree with me?” The room remained silent, according to HRW.
The appointment of General Prayuth is “a disaster waiting to happen”, according to exiled academic Pavin Chachavalpongpun.
“From this moment on, as Prayuth becomes the supreme authority of Thai politics, he will move to further weaken democratic institutions,” Pavin told CityNews. “There will no doubt soon be some kind of political machinations put in place in order to ensure that politicians allied with Thaksin [Shinawatra] will not return to politics.”
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