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