Thailand's National Reform Steering Assembly (NRSA) on Monday officially accepted a study and observations on the cybersecurity bill, which proposes setting up an interim cybersecurity panel, amid criticism of the junta’s control over the internet.

Pisit Pao-in, vice chair of the NRSA media reform committee, stressed the importance of the bill, saying everyone was vulnerable to cyber threats. He said the bill would lead to an interim cybersecurity panel being set up to deal with information in and outside the country, in regard to threats plus prevention and countermeasures.

The proposal will be forwarded to the top committee overseeing reform, reconciliation, and national strategy, which is chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.

The committee’s study followed an attempt by the government to draft a new cybersecurity bill to deal with emerging threats. The Digital Economy and Society Ministry initiated the bill and sent it to the government in 2015, before it was given to the Council of State for review.

The ministry then set up a joint panel with the NRSA’s media committee to help look at the bill again. It then came up with a study and observations to be included in the ministry’s latest amendment of the bill. These are being studied by Council of State lawyers.

Kanit Suwannet, chair of the media committee, said that the bill aimed to protect the network to facilitate electronic transactions, involving the economy and society rather than national security. “The bill is to make cybersecurity clear and cover all dimensions, especially security. It will promote and support measures to protect the network system, which will make electronic transactions secure for economic and social ends,” Kanit said in the NRSA meeting.

He said the committee had not yet considered measures to protect the network in relation to national security.
The bill will cover threats posed by individuals, organisations and natural disasters, he said. It does not include use of the Internet as a means to undermine national security, such as social media posts, Kanit said.

But the bill clearly states that national and military security is one of the prime areas to be protected, he said. It also proposes a powerful national cybersecurity panel to be headed by the prime minister.

Whip Kamnoon Siddhisamarn said the committee should ensure it communicates with the public and clarifies that the bill is about the system, not social media content. He proposed that the committee make a clear definition of cyber threats to avoid any issues in regard to infringing on people’s rights.

Kanit promised the bill would go through proper processes, including a public hearing.