The Thai junta leader invoked Section 44 of the Interim Charter, which gives the military government nearly absolute power, to appoint a new Social Security Office committee amid concerns from labour groups.

Wilaiwan Saetia, Vice President of the Thai Labour Solidarity Committee, told Prachatai in an interview that she is concerned about the recent move of the military government to appoint new board members to the Social Security Committee and its subcommittees.

On Sunday, 8 November 2015, Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, the junta leader and Prime Minister, invoked Section 44 of the Interim Charter to remove the current Social Security Committee members and replaced them with new officers, citing inefficiency and other internal problems as a primary reason.

The new committee members appointed under Section 44 will serve for the next two years.

According to Wilaiwan, the junta’s measure violated the Social Security Act, which recently came into force on 20 October 2015, because the Act states that Social Security Committee members should be elected by representatives of employees and freelancers who choose the self-payment method as social security package.

The workers were hoping that they would be able to participate in elections of the new Social Security Committee in April next year, 2016, she added.

The Thai Labour Solidarity Committee Vice President commented that the junta’s action is ironic since the PM always says that people should respect the rule of law.

She further said that inefficiency and other long-standing problems of the Social Security Office are not sufficient reasons to remove the current Social Security Committee members without complying with the Social Security Act, saying that although the organisation has encountered problems it should be independent and transparent.

Most importantly, she added that people who are entitled to social security benefits should have the right to participate in social security policies.