<div> <div>The Thai cabinet has passed a bill allowing courts to try cases where the defendant is absent. A human rights lawyer argues that the measure aims to facilitate the prosecution of fugitive ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. &nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>On 13 September 2016, the cabinet approved a bill to amend the Criminal Procedure Code. </div></div>

<p>The Thai police have been notorious for their use of torture to force confessions and the arrest of scapegoats. The two Myanmar suspects accused of killing two British backpackers on Thailand’s Koh Tao Island are good examples. In the restive Deep South, lawyers say that security officers regularly torture insurgent suspects to get confessions since the Thai police do not have enough evidence to issue arrest warrants by normal means. The Thai police are now aiming to optimize investigations by pushing for a law which will allow police from all divisions to intercept suspects’ communications. However, experts say the bill could ironically end up aggravating police abuses.</p> <p></p>