Tomorrow should have been a historic day for human rights in Thailand. It should have been a time for human rights advocates and the public to celebrate because the Prevention and Suppression of Torture and Enforced Disappearance Act -- a crucial piece of legislation which took 14 years to pass -- was supposed to come into effect.
But the celebrations are likely to be tepid at best, as the cabinet decided last Tuesday to postpone the enforcement of articles 22, 23, 24 and 25 of the act for another seven months.
The aforementioned articles are central to any effort to end abuses by state officials, as they mandate law enforcement and security officials to wear body cameras when interrogating suspects.
It is a shame the Prayut Chan-o-cha government decided to listen to the ludicrous reasons given by the Royal Thai Police (RTP).
These anti-torture clauses will not only help improve Thailand's human rights record -- body cameras and voice recorders will raise our law enforcement standards and help the government keep corruption in check.
In a letter to the Ministry of Justice last month, Pol Gen Damrongsak Kittiprapas, chief of the national policy, cited the lack of equipment, police training and standard guidelines.
The national police chief even said forcing the police to follow the new law when they are not ready would only harm society.
To solve its technical shortcomings, RTP this week asked for a budget to procure 170,000 body cameras, 1,500 dashboard cameras to be installed in police vehicles, 6,000 CCTV sets for police stations and a budget for cloud storage to keep digital footage.
That said, in April 2021, former national police chief Pol Gen Suwat Jangyodsuk had already ordered police officers to record voices and pictures during searches, arrests and interrogations. As such, Pol Gen Damrongsak owes the public an explanation to justify the procurement.
Even if some police stations and officers still lack body cameras, there is no valid reason to postpone the enforcement of the rules.
The anti-torture legislation is flexible, permitting law enforcement officers to use their mobile phones, or even stick with written statements, while their superiors acquire equipment and prepare for the regulations.
While RTP is dragging its feet, the Office of the Attorney-General (OAG) deserves applause for showing its commitment to enforcing the anti-torture legislation.
Earlier this month, Attorney-General Naree Thanthasathian announced that the office and officials are ready to fully comply with every section of this legislation.
The stark difference in commitment at the RTP and OAG speaks volumes about why corruption and the culture of impunity are so ingrained within the police force.
It explains why some police officers dared to use plastic bags to torture suspects in their custody, even with CCTV installed in the interrogation room, or why policemen manning checkpoints in Huai Kwang were brave enough to delete footage from their cameras after asking tourists for bribes.
There is a ray of hope, though. Before the final House session ends on Feb 28, MPs must bring up this issue and nullify the cabinet's decision, simply because there is no valid reason to partially postpone the enforcement of this anti-torture law.
Failing to do so is not only irresponsible as it condones the culture of impunity.
