CIVICUS discusses Thailand’s new NGO bill with a legal advisor from the Asia and the Pacific programme of the International Center for Non-Profit Law (ICNL), an organisation working to improve the legal and digital environment for civil society.
The draft Act on Associations and Foundations, which is currently under review, mandates registration for all civil society organisations (CSOs), imposes strict reporting requirements and severe penalties for non-compliance, allows for unannounced inspections and grants the government broad powers to dissolve CSOs on vague grounds of public morality or public order. These provisions have been reinstated from an earlier draft, despite widespread opposition. Civil society is concerned that the law, if passed, will be used to stifle legitimate dissent.