BANGKOK: Thailand's prime minister batted away criticism of a controversial cybersecurity law on Thursday, saying it would not be used to"tap phone calls".
The new Bill allows authorities to seize any computers or devices without a court warrant if there are"critical threats" to cybersecurity, which a committee determines in cases of"reasonable suspicion". But Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha, who seized power in 2014 and is standing for civilian prime minister in the election, tried to allay those fears in remarks to investors in Bangkok."When I talk about cybersecurity, don't get this confused with human rights," the gruff general said, adding that the law was meant to boost online business security."It's about the protection of businesses ... because there could be huge fraud or illegal businesses.