Editing Royal Thai Armed Forces (section)

==History==
{{main|Military history of Thailand}}

===Ancient military forces===
{{Main|History of the Thai armed forces before 1852}}
The '''Royal Siamese Armed Forces''' was the military arm of the [[Thai monarchy|Siamese monarchy]] from the 12th to the 19th centuries. It refers to the military forces of the [[Sukhothai Kingdom]], the [[Ayutthaya Kingdom]], the [[Thonburi Kingdom]] and the early [[Rattanakosin Kingdom]] in chronological order. The Siamese army was one of the dominant armed forces in Southeast Asia. As Thailand has never been colonized by a European power, the Royal Thai Armed Forces boasts one of the longest and uninterrupted military traditions in Asia.

The army was organized into a small standing army of a few thousand, which defended the capital and the palace, and a much larger [[conscription]]-based wartime army. Conscription was based on the "ahmudan" system, which required local chiefs to supply, in times of war, a predetermined quota of men from their jurisdiction on the basis of population. The wartime army also consisted of [[war elephants|elephantry]], [[cavalry]], [[artillery]], and [[navy|naval]] units.

In 1852, the Royal Siamese Armed Forces came into existence as permanent force at the behest of King [[Mongkut]], who needed a [[Europe]]an trained military force to thwart any Western threat and any attempts at colonialisation. By 1887, during the next reign of King [[Chulalongkorn]], a permanent military command in the [[Kalahom|''Kalahom'' Department]] was established. The office of ''Kalahom'', as a permanent office of war department, was established by King [[Borommatrailokkanat]] (1431–1488) in the mid-15th century during the [[Ayutthaya Kingdom]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080624075931/http://aarm2007.rta.mi.th/history_royal_th.htm The Royal Thai Army. Brief History]. rta.mi.th</ref> [[Siam]]'s history of organized warfare is thus one of Asia's longest and uninterrupted military traditions.<ref>[http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/thailand/mil-history.htm Military History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090427212330/http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/thailand/mil-history.htm |date=27 April 2009 }}. www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved on 18 January 2012.</ref> However, since 1932, when the military, with the help of civilians, [[Siamese Revolution of 1932|overthrew]] the system of [[absolute monarchy]] and instead created a [[constitutional monarchy|constitutional]] system, the military has dominated and been in control of [[Politics of Thailand|Thai politics]], providing it with many [[Prime Ministers of Thailand|prime ministers]] and carrying out many [[coup d'état|coups d'état]], the [[2014 Thai coup d'état|most recent]] being in 2014.

===Conflicts===
{{main|List of wars involving Thailand}}
The Royal Thai Armed Forces were involved in many conflicts throughout its history, including global, regional and internal conflicts. However, most these were within [[Southeast Asia]]. The only three foreign incursions into Thai territory were the [[Franco-Siamese conflict of 1893]], the [[Japanese invasion of Thailand]] in December 1941, and in the 1980s with [[Vietnam]]ese incursions into Thailand that led to several battles with the Thai Army. Operations on foreign territory were either territorial wars (such as the [[Laos Civil War]]) or conflicts mandated by the [[United Nations]].

====Franco-Siamese conflict (1893)====
With the rapid expansion of the [[French Third Republic|French]] [[French colonial empire|Empire]] into [[Indochina]], conflicts necessarily occurred. War became inevitable when a French mission led by [[Auguste Pavie]] to King [[Chulalongkorn]] to try to bring [[Laos]] under French rule ended in failure. The French colonialists invaded Siam from the northeast and sent two warships to fight their way past the river forts and train their guns on the Grand Palace in [[Bangkok]] (the [[Paknam Incident]]). The French also declared a [[blockade]] around Bangkok, which almost brought them into conflict with the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom]]. Siam was forced to accept the French [[ultimatum]] and surrendered Laos to France, also allowing French troops to occupy the Thai province of [[Chantaburi]] for several decades.<ref>[http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2005/11/02/headlines/data/headlines_19040213.html Legacy of the Paknam clash] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090421214229/http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2005/11/02/headlines/data/headlines_19040213.html |date=21 April 2009 }}. nationmultimedia.com. 2 November 2005</ref>

====World War I (1917–1918)====
{{main|Siam in World War I}}

[[Image:Siamese Troops (Thai) Arc de Triomphe WW1 1919.jpg|thumb|230px|right|The Siamese Expeditionary Force in Paris, 1919.]]
King [[Vajiravudh]] on 22 July 1917 declared war on the [[Central Powers]] and joined the [[Entente Powers]] on the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]]. He sent a volunteer corps, the [[Siam during World War I|Siamese Expeditionary Force]], composed of 1,233 modern-equipped and trained men commanded by Field Marshal Prince [[Chakrabongse Bhuvanath]]. The force included air and medical personnel, the medical units actually seeing combat. Siam became the only independent [[Asia]]n nation with forces in [[Europe]] during the Great War. Although Siam's participation militarily was minimal, it enabled the revision or complete cancellation of so-called "[[Unequal treaty|unequal treaties]]" with the [[Western world|Western powers]].<ref>[http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/thailand.htm Feature Articles – Thailand and the First World War] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130518065721/http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/thailand.htm |date=18 May 2013 }}. First World War.com (22 August 2009). Retrieved on 2012-01-18.</ref> The Expeditionary Force was given the honour of marching in the victory parade under the [[Arc de Triomphe]] in [[Paris]].<ref>[http://thaimilitary.wordpress.com/2008/11/11/90th-anniversary-of-world-war-i-this-is-the-history-of-siamese-volunteer-crop/ 90th Anniversary of World War I. This Is The History of Siamese Volunteer Crop.  Thai Military Information Blog] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090402215925/http://thaimilitary.wordpress.com/2008/11/11/90th-anniversary-of-world-war-i-this-is-the-history-of-siamese-volunteer-crop/ |date=2 April 2009 }}. Thaimilitary.wordpress.com (11 November 2008). Retrieved on 2012-01-18.</ref> Nineteen Siamese soldiers died during the conflict, and their ashes are interred in the World War I monument at the north end of Bangkok's Pramane Grounds.

====Franco-Thai War (1940–1941)====
[[File:Battle Between the Army of Thailand and the French Army.png|thumb|A clash between the Thai and French forces at Indochina.]]
The [[Franco-Thai War]] began in October 1940, when the country under the rule of Field Marshal [[Prime Minister of Thailand|Prime Minister]] [[Plaek Phibunsongkhram]] followed up border clashes by invading a French Indo-China, under the [[Vichy France|Vichy regime]] (after the [[Nazi]] occupation of Paris) to regain lost land and settle territorial disputes. The war also bolstered Phibun's program of promoting [[Thai nationalism]].<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.geocities.com/thailandwwii/nationalism.html |title = Nation-building and the Pursuit of Nationalism under Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsongkhram |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090731201111/http://www.geocities.com/thailandwwii/nationalism.html |archive-date=31 July 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The war ended indecisively, with Thai victories on land and a naval defeat at sea. However, the disputed territories in French Indochina were ceded to Thailand.

====World War II (1942–1945)====
{{main|Thailand in World War II}}
[[File:Phap Mueang Thai (1943, p 090).jpg|thumb|Thai soldiers and governmental officials occupying a Burmese village.]]
To attack [[British Raj|British India]], [[British rule in Burma|British Burma]] and [[British Malaya]], the [[Empire of Japan]] needed to use bases in Thailand. By playing both nations against one another, [[Prime Minister of Thailand|Prime Minister]] [[Plaek Phibunsongkhram|Phibunsongkhram]] was able to maintain a degree of [[Neutral country|neutrality]] for some time. However, this ended in the early hours of 8 December 1941, when Japan launched a [[Japanese invasion of Thailand|surprise attack]] on Thailand at nine places along the coastline and from French Indo-China. The greatly outnumbered Thai forces put up resistance, but were soon overwhelmed. By 07:30, Phibun ordered an end to hostilities, though resistance continued for at least another day until all units could be notified. Phibun signed an [[armistice]] with Japan that allowed the empire to move its troops through Thai territory. Impressed by Japan's easy conquest of British Malaya, Phibun formally made Thailand part of the [[Axis powers|Axis]] by declaring war on the United Kingdom and the United States, though the Regent refused to sign it in the young king's name. (The [[List of ambassadors of Thailand to the United States|Thai ambassador to Washington]] refused to deliver the declaration, and the United States continued to consider Thailand an occupied country.) An active and foreign-assisted underground resistance movement, the [[Free Thai Movement|Free Thai]], was largely successful and helped Thailand to be viewed positively in the eyes of the victorious [[Allies of World War II|Allies]] after the war and be treated as an occupied nation rather than a defeated enemy.<ref>[http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+th0031) Thailand]. Lcweb2.loc.gov (8 December 1941). Retrieved on 2012-01-18. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171108094215/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd%2Fcstdy%3A%40field%28DOCID+th0031%29 |date=8 November 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Hughes|first1=Les|title=The Free Thai|url=http://www.insigne.org/OSS-Thai.htm|website=Insigne|access-date=8 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171108094922/http://www.insigne.org/OSS-Thai.htm|archive-date=8 November 2017|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

====Korean War (1950–1953)====
{{main|Thailand in the Korean War}}
[[File:태국 (7445445508).jpg|thumb|Thailand soldiers arriving at Busan]]
During the United Nations-mandated conflict in the [[Korean peninsula]], Thailand provided the reinforced 1st Battalion of the [[21st Infantry Regiment (Thailand)|21st Infantry Regiment]], Some 65,000{{clarify|reason=Conflicts with data on Korean War article|date=December 2021}} Thais served in Korea during the war. Thai foot soldiers took part in the 1953 [[Battle of Pork Chop Hill]]. During the war the battalion was attached at various times to [[187th Infantry Regiment (United States)|U.S. 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team]] and the [[29th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)|British 29th Infantry Brigade]]. The kingdom also provided four naval vessels, the HTMS ''Bangprakong'', ''Bangpako'', ''Tachin'', and ''Prasae'', and an air transport unit to the UN command structure. The Thai contingent was actively engaged and suffered heavy casualties, including 139 dead and more than 300 wounded.{{clarify|reason=Conflicts with data on Korean War article|date=December 2021}} They remained in South Korea after the cease fire, returning to Thailand in 1955.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070716130959/http://korea50.army.mil/history/factsheets/allied.shtml Factsheet]. korea50.army.mil</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Rottman  |first=Gordon |date=2002 |title=Korean War Order of Battle: United States, United Nations, and Communist Ground, Naval, and Air Forces, 1950–1953|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NpOp2OO1-DAC&q=21st+Regiment+korean+war+thailand |publisher=Praeger |pages=120–121 |isbn=978-0275978358}}</ref><ref>
{{cite web |url=http://www.koreaherald.com/common_prog/newsprint.php?ud=20100622000561&dt=2 |title=Heroism of the Little Tigers |last1=Satjipanon |first1=Chaiyong |date=22 June 2010 |website=The Korean Herald |access-date=22 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011130034/http://www.koreaherald.com/common_prog/newsprint.php?ud=20100622000561&dt=2 |archive-date=11 October 2016 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

====Vietnam War (1955–1975)====
{{main|Thailand in the Vietnam War}}
[[Image:Thai Soldiers Board C-130 at Long Thanh for Trip Home.jpg|thumb|210px|right|Thai soldiers boarding a [[USAF]] aircraft, during the Vietnam War.]]
Due to its proximity to Thailand, [[Vietnam]]'s conflicts were closely monitored by Bangkok. Thai involvement did not become official until the [[Gulf of Tonkin Resolution|total involvement]] of the [[United States]] in support of South Vietnam in 1963. The Thai government then allowed the [[United States Air Force in Thailand]] to use its air and naval bases. At the height of the war, almost 50,000 American military personnel were stationed in Thailand, mainly airmen.<ref name="NYT-20171107">{{cite news|last1=Ruth|first1=Richard A|title=Why Thailand Takes Pride in the Vietnam War|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/07/opinion/thailand-vietnam-war.html|access-date=8 November 2017|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=7 November 2017|department=Editorial|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107222448/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/07/opinion/thailand-vietnam-war.html|archive-date=7 November 2017|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

In October 1967 a regiment-size Thai unit, the [[Royal Thai Volunteer Regiment|Queen's Cobras]], were sent to [[Bearcat Base|Camp Bearcat]] at [[Bien Hoa]], to fight alongside the Americans, Australians, New Zealanders and South Vietnamese. About 40,000 Thai military would serve in South Vietnam, with 351 killed in action and 1,358 wounded.<ref name="NYT-20171107"/><ref name=H-Net>{{cite web|last1=Trauschweizer|first1=Ingo|title=Forgotten Soldiers in Vietnam|url=http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=34384|website=H-Net Online|access-date=8 November 2017|type=Book review|date=December 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171108204720/http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=34384|archive-date=8 November 2017|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Thailand Involvement in Vietnam War|url=https://thevietnamwar.info/thailand-involvement-vietnam-war/|website=The Vietnam War|access-date=10 December 2017|date=29 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171210175712/https://thevietnamwar.info/thailand-involvement-vietnam-war/|archive-date=10 December 2017|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Thai troops earned a reputation for bravery and would serve in Vietnam until 1971, when the men of the [[Royal Thai Army Expeditionary Division]] (Black Panthers) returned home.<ref name=H-Net/>

Thailand was also involved in the [[Laotian Civil War]], supporting covert operations against the communist [[Pathet Lao]] and the North Vietnamese from 1964 to 1972.

By 1975 relations between Bangkok and Washington had soured, and the government of [[Kukrit Pramoj]] requested the withdrawal of all US military personnel and the closure of all US bases. This was completed by March 1976.<ref name=GAOt>{{cite web|author=Comptroller General of the United States|title=WITHDRAWAL OF U.S. FORCES FROM THAILAND: Ways to Improve Future Withdrawal Operations|url=http://www.gao.gov/assets/130/120410.pdf|website=US Government Accountability Office|date=1 November 1977|access-date=November 8, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170530132555/http://www.gao.gov/assets/130/120410.pdf|archive-date=30 May 2017|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

====Communist insurgency (1976–1980s)====
The [[communist]] victory in Vietnam in 1975 emboldened the communist movement in Thailand, which had been in existence since the 1920s. After the [[6 October 1976 Massacre|Thammasat University massacre of leftist student demonstrators in 1976]] and the repressive policies of right-wing Prime Minister [[Tanin Kraivixien]], sympathies for the movement increased. By the late-1970s, it is estimated that the movement had as many as 12,000 armed insurgents,<ref>[http://www.onwar.com/aced/chrono/c1900s/yr55/fthailand1959.htm Thailand Communist Insurgency 1959–Present] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705192352/http://www.onwar.com/aced/chrono/c1900s/yr55/fthailand1959.htm |date=5 July 2008 }}. Onwar.com. Retrieved on 18 January 2012.</ref> mostly based in the northeast along the Laotian border and receiving foreign support. By the 1980s, however, all insurgent activities had been defeated. In 1982 Prime Minister [[Prem Tinsulanonda]] issued a general amnesty for all former communist insurgents.

====Vietnamese border raids (1979–1988)====
With the Vietnamese [[Cambodian–Vietnamese War|invasion of Cambodia]] in 1978, communist Vietnam had a combined force of about 300,000 in Laos and Cambodia. This posed a massive potential threat to the Thais, as they could no longer rely on Cambodia to act as a [[buffer state]]. Small encounters occasionally took place when Vietnamese forces crossed into Thailand in pursuit of fleeing [[Khmer Rouge]] troops. However, a full and official conflict was never declared, as neither country wanted it.

====Thai–Laotian Border War (1987–1988)====
This was a small conflict over mountainous territory including three disputed villages on the border between [[Sainyabuli Province]] in Laos and [[Phitsanulok Province]] in Thailand, whose ownership had been left unclear by the map drawn by the French some 80 years earlier. Caused by then-Army commander [[Chavalit Yongchaiyudh]] against the wishes of the government, the war ended with a stalemate and return to [[status quo ante bellum]]. The two nations suffered combined casualties of about 1,000.<ref>[http://www.historyguy.com/thai_laos_border_war_87.html Thailand-Laos Border War 1987–1988] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090203045717/http://historyguy.com/thai_laos_border_war_87.html |date=3 February 2009 }}. The History Guy. Retrieved on 18 January 2012.</ref>

====East Timor (1999–2002)====
After the [[1999 East Timorese crisis|East Timor crisis]], Thailand, with 28 other nations, provided troops for the [[International Force for East Timor|International Force for East Timor or INTERFET]]. Thailand also provided the force commander, Lieutenant General Winai Phattiyakul.<ref name="un.org"/> The force was based in [[Dili]] and lasted from 25 October 1999 to 20 May 2002.

[[Image:US Army instructs Thai Army 2001.jpg|thumb|210px|right|Thai and US military training together during [[Cobra Gold]] 2001.]]

====Iraq War (2003–2004)====
After the [[2003 invasion of Iraq|successful US invasion of Iraq]], [[Thai Humanitarian Assistance Task Force 976 Thai-Iraq]] Thailand contributed 423 non-combat troops in August 2003 to nation building and medical assistance in [[Coalition Provisional Authority|post-Saddam Iraq]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090421011422/http://www.asiantribune.com/oldsite/show_news.php?id=9283 Thailand to withdraw troops from Iraq if attacked]. ''Asian Tribune'' (21 April 2004).</ref> The Thais could not leave their base in [[Karbala]] as their rules governing their participation restricted them to humanitarian assistance which could not be accomplished due to the insurgency during the Thai's tenure in Iraq.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ricks |first1=Thomas E |title=Fiasco; The American Military Adventure in Iraq |url=https://archive.org/details/fiascoamericanmi00rick |url-access=registration |date=2006 |publisher=Penguin |location=London |isbn=9780141028507 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/fiascoamericanmi00rick/page/346 346–347]}}</ref> Troops of the Royal Thai Army were attacked in the [[2003 Karbala bombings]], which killed two soldiers and wounded five others.<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/12/27/sprj.irq.main/index.html Karbala attacks kill 12, wound dozens] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080420165317/http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/12/27/sprj.irq.main/index.html |date=20 April 2008 }}. CNN (27 December 2003). Retrieved on 2012-01-18.</ref> However, the Thai mission in Iraq was considered an overall success, and Thailand withdrew its forces in August 2004. The mission is considered the main reason the United States decided to designate Thailand as a [[major non-NATO ally]] in 2003.<ref name=r1>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090825111721/http://www.centcom.mil/en/countries/coalition/thailand/ Thailand]. centcom.mil</ref>

====South Thailand insurgency (2001–ongoing)====
The ongoing [[South Thailand insurgency|southern insurgency]] had begun in response to Prime Minister [[Plaek Phibunsongkhram]]'s 1944 National Cultural Act, which replaced the use of Malaya in the region's schools with the Thai language and also abolished the local Islamic courts in the three ethnic [[Malay (ethnic group)|Malay]] and [[Muslim]] majority border provinces of [[Yala Province|Yala]], [[Pattani Province|Pattani]], and [[Narathiwat Province|Narathiwat]].<ref>Patani</ref>{{Circular reference|date=January 2018}} However, it had always been on a comparatively small scale. The insurgency intensified in 2001, during the government of Prime Minister [[Thaksin Shinawatra]]. Terrorist attacks were now extended to the ethnic Thai minority in the provinces.<ref>[http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/06/14/asia/AS-GEN-Thailand-Southern-Violence.php Search – Global Edition – The New York Times] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090418003338/http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/06/14/asia/AS-GEN-Thailand-Southern-Violence.php |date=18 April 2009 }}. ''International Herald Tribune'' (29 March 2009). Retrieved on 2012-01-18.</ref> The Royal Thai Armed Forces also went beyond their orders and retaliated with strong armed tactics that only encouraged more violence.<ref>[http://www.janes.com/news/security/countryrisk/jiaa/jiaa071119_1_n.shtml Thailand's counter-insurgency operations] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081203160713/http://www.janes.com/news/security/countryrisk/jiaa/jiaa071119_1_n.shtml |date=3 December 2008 }}. Janes.com (19 November 2007). Retrieved on 2012-01-18.</ref> By the end of 2012 the conflict had claimed 3,380 lives, including 2,316 civilians, 372 soldiers, 278 police, 250 suspected insurgents, 157 education officials, and seven Buddhist monks. Many of the dead were Muslims themselves, but they had been targeted because of their presumed support of the Thai government.<ref>Data from the (governmental) Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre, cited in [http://www.isranews.org/south-news/scoop/item/18593.html ISRANews] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130801083542/http://www.isranews.org/south-news/scoop/item/18593.html |date=1 August 2013 }} report, 4 January 2013</ref>

==== Cambodian–Thai border stand-off (2008–2011) ====
Is an event that began in June 2008 over the border dispute with the Temple of Preah Vihear afterwards. There were many clashes between the two sides. Along with the claims of each party over the said dispute territory.

====Sudan (2010–2011)====
Thai soldiers joined [[United Nations Mission in Sudan|UNMIS]] in 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/content/thailand-dispatches-soldiers-join-un-peacekeeping-force-sudan|title=Thailand Dispatches Soldiers to Join UN Peacekeeping Force in Sudan - World Affairs Journal|website=www.worldaffairsjournal.org|access-date=5 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160815170213/http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/content/thailand-dispatches-soldiers-join-un-peacekeeping-force-sudan|archive-date=15 August 2016|url-status=usurped|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

=== Current developments ===
[[File:Royal Thai Army soldiers in woods 2006.jpg|thumb|200px|Thai and US Army Soldiers practice tactical manoeuvres during exercise [[Cobra Gold]] 2006 in [[Lop Buri]].]]

====Thai military deputized as police====
On 29 March 2016, in a move that the ''Bangkok Post'' said will "...will inflict serious and long-term damage...", the [[National Council for Peace and Order|NCPO]], under a Section 44 order (NCPO Order 13/2559) signed by junta chief [[Prayut Chan-o-cha]], granted to commissioned officers of the Royal Thai Armed Forces broad police powers to suppress and arrest anyone they suspect of criminal activity without a warrant and detain them secretly at almost any location without charge for up to seven days. Bank accounts can be frozen, and documents and property can be seized. Travel can be banned. Automatic immunity for military personnel has been built into the order, and there is no independent oversight or recourse in the event of abuse. The order came into immediate effect. The net result is that the military will have more power than the police and less oversight.<ref name="BP-20160401">{{cite news|title=Affront to justice system |url=http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/917813/affront-to-justice-system|access-date=4 April 2016|work=Bangkok Post|date=2016-04-01|department=Editorial}}</ref>

The government has stated that the purpose of this order is to enable military officers to render their assistance in an effort to "...suppress organized crimes such as extortion, human trafficking, child and labor abuses, gambling, prostitution, illegal tour guide services, price collusion, and firearms. It neither aims to stifle nor intimidate dissenting voices. Defendants in such cases will go through normal judicial process, with police as the main investigator...trial[s] will be conducted in civilian courts, not military ones. Moreover, this order does not deprive the right of the defendants to file complaints against military officers who have abused their power."<ref>{{cite news|title=The Dissemination of the Final Constitution Draft and the issuance of the Head of the NCPO's Order No. 13/2559|url=http://www.mfa.go.th/main/en/media-center/14/66031-The-Dissemination-of-the-Final-Constitution-Draft.html|access-date=4 April 2016|publisher=Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand|date=2016-04-03|type=Press release|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413120956/http://www.mfa.go.th/main/en/media-center/14/66031-The-Dissemination-of-the-Final-Constitution-Draft.html|archive-date=13 April 2016|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

The NCPO said that the reason for its latest order is that there are simply not enough police, in spite of the fact that there are about 230,000 officers in the [[Royal Thai Police]] force. They make up about 17 percent of all non-military public servants. This amounts to 344 police officers for every for every 100,000 persons in Thailand, more than twice the ratio in Myanmar and the Philippines, one and a half times that of Japan and Indonesia and roughly the same proportion as the United States.<ref name="BP-20160403">{{cite news|title=In the dark on army's shadowy powers  |url=http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/919337/in-the-dark-on-armys-shadowy-powers|access-date=4 April 2016|work=Bangkok Post|date=2016-04-03|department=Editorial}}</ref>

In a joint statement released on 5 April 2016, six groups, including [[Human Rights Watch]] (HRW), [[Amnesty International]], and the [[International Commission of Jurists]] (ICJ), condemned the move.<ref>{{cite news|title=Giving soldiers police powers 'wrong': human rights groups|url=http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Giving-soldiers-police-powers-wrong-human-rights-g-30283331.html|access-date=5 April 2016|work=The Nation|agency=Agence France Presse|date=2016-04-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160408085338/http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Giving-soldiers-police-powers-wrong-human-rights-g-30283331.html|archive-date=8 April 2016|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

====Corruption====
The ''[[Asia Sentinel]]'' in 2014 called the Thai military one of the most deeply corrupt militaries in Asia.<ref name="AS-20140820">{{cite news |title=Thailand's Crooked Army |url=https://www.asiasentinel.com/politics/thailand-crooked-army/ |access-date=26 September 2018 |work=Asia Sentinel |date=2014-08-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180926211037/https://www.asiasentinel.com/politics/thailand-crooked-army/ |archive-date=26 September 2018 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref>  The Thai armed forces have a history of procurement scandals and dodgy dealings dating back to at least the 1980s.<ref name="AS-20140820" />

*In the 1980s, the army bought hundreds of substandard armored personnel carriers (APC) from the Chinese that were so shoddy that light was visible through the welds securing the armor plate.<ref name="AS-20140820"/>
*The Thai air force bought Chinese jets with short-lived engines so delicate that the planes were towed to the flight line for takeoff and towed back on landing in order to minimize engine hours.<ref name="AS-20140820"/>
*In 1997, the [[HTMS Chakri Naruebet|HTMS ''Chakri Naruebet'']] aircraft carrier was commissioned. Due to its lackluster operational history, the Thai media have nicknamed the ship "Thai-tanic", and consider her to be a [[white elephant]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Bishop |first=Chris |author2=Chant, Christopher |title=Aircraft Carriers: the world's greatest naval vessels and their aircraft |year=2004 |publisher=MBI |location=London |isbn=0-7603-2005-5 |oclc=56646560 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PY8CvlKC7kgC |access-date=26 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170324145739/https://books.google.com/books?id=PY8CvlKC7kgC |archive-date=24 March 2017 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all |page=88 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Carpenter |first=William M. |author2=Wiencek, David G. |title=Asian Security Handbook 2000 |publisher=M. E. Sharpe |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-7656-0715-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_Dc665HSo_0C |access-date=26 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140111113807/http://books.google.com/books?id=_Dc665HSo_0C |archive-date=11 January 2014 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all |page=302 }}</ref>
*The Aeros 40D S/N 21 airship, nicknamed "Sky Dragon", was purchased for 350 million baht in 2009.<ref name=BP-20170915>{{cite news |last1=Nanuam |first1=Wassana |title=Military finally dumps B350m airship |url=https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/security/1324367/military-finally-dumps-b350m-airship |access-date=26 September 2018 |work=Bangkok Post |date=2017-09-15}}</ref> It cost 2.8 million baht to inflate and 280,000 baht a month to keep inflated.<ref name="AS-20140820"/> It served for eight years, mostly in storage, and crashed once. The present leadership of the NCPO was instrumental in approving its purchase.<ref name=BP-20170915/>