<p>The junta has given the green light to a new version of the Criminal Procedure Code that allows police to intercept communications. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>On 25 April 2017, Lt Gen Sansern Kaewkamnerd, spokesperson of the Prime Minister's Office, announced that the cabinet has approved an amended draft of the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.unafei.or.jp/english/pages/RMS/No92_10PA_Sudti-Autasilp.pdf">Criminal Procedure Code (CPC)</a>.</p> <p>Under the section on evidence collection, the bill allows police to intercept communications to and from criminal suspects.</p>

<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>