Court rules anti-terror law legal

Court rules anti-terror law legal

THAILAND: Thailand first anti-terrorism law was issued legally by government decree when parliament was not in session, the Constitutional Court ruled on Thursday, quashing opposition charges that it was unconstitutional.

The court ruled 10 to four that the government was justified in issuing two decrees on national security and public safety on the same day a suicide car bomber killed 12 people at a Jakarta hotel in August.

Senior court official Noppadol Heang-Jareon told reporters the panel had decided "the cabinet is entitled to use all means to prevent an act of terrorism in Thailand".

The parliamentary opposition and a group of senators asked the Constitutional Court to rule on the legality of the decrees after Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said normal parliamentary procedures would have taken too long.

Thailand was about to host an October Asia-Pacific summit attended by U.S. President George W. Bush and Russian leader Vladimir Putin when the cabinet approved the decrees. -- Reuters