Despite being under emergency rule for four months, many Bangkokians still believe their lives are "normal." However, there's nothing normal about living under the emergency decree. The "silent majority" should not complacently accept the emergency law as status quo because it not only violates their rights, but is also bad for democracy. Unless they want Thailand to become another Burma, they should seriously stop and think about the merits of this law.

Almost a million registered migrant workers from Burma, Cambodia and Laos now have a right to formally purchase and register motor vehicles in Thailand. However, because of officials’ discriminatory use and interpretation of laws and a lack of genuine respect for human rights, these migrants continue to be denied the right on national security grounds to drive these vehicles.

The purpose of reforms should be to eradicate the defects that exist at present, in the police. The main defects are that the system of criminal investigations is based on primitive methodologies and the use of torture is an inherent part of such investigations, therefore the elimination of the use of torture and the development of modern techniques of criminal investigation should be the major priority in any reform; corruption is rampant within the police and the eradication of corruption should also be a priority in police reforms; The police often have to serve political masters and powerful persons and this prevents the police from serving the law as their king; Thus, bringing the police within the rule of law by eradicating their control by politicians and other powerful persons should also be a priority in police reforms.

A group of human rights NGOs and activists have opposed the government's extension of the imposition of the Emergency Decree.

The election of Thailand as chair of the UN human rights council has little to do with its record but may make the country change. The recently concluded session of the UN human rights council, an intergovernmental organisation tasked to promote and protect human rights worldwide, ended with the election of Thailand as the new president to the 47-member council.