BANGKOK, Thailand -- In the final days before an election that is supposed to herald the return of "democracy" to Thailand, protesters gate-crashed the national assembly in Bangkok. The protestors were angered by the unelected military-appointed national assembly's last-minute passage of a slew of new laws before being dissolved -- including a dubious and feared Internal Security Bill which would give the military highly questionable powers. The law, certain to be passed, enshrines the authority of the Internal Security Operations Command, a shadowy parallel military grouping with extensive powers under the prime minister.
Thailand’s Post-Coup Election Promises Little More than a New National Headache
