Thailand extends virus emergency powers to June 30 despite opposition objections

Thailand’s cabinet on Tuesday extended an emergency decree to fight the coronavirus until June 30. A spokeswoman denied opposition suggestions that the prime minister, a onetime junta leader, was seeking a return to unchecked powers.

The state of emergency declared in late March came amid student protests against the banning of a party opposed to PM Prayuth Chan-ocha.

With new cases now dwindling, some opposition figures have suggested the emergency decree should be allowed to expire. Thailand has had 3,045 confirmed cases and 57 fatalities, Reuters said.

Prayuth first seized power in a 2014 military coup, and disputed elections last year yielded a coalition government led by his pro-army party. The emergency decree grants broad authority to limit gatherings, order businesses closed, impose curfews, and censor media – many of the same powers the former junta held.