The past week saw Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha use the superpower of Section 44 for the 127th time since he seized power in May 2014. Its latest use declared the area of Wat Phra Dhammakaya and its vicinity as a "specially controlled zone" after authorities had tried in vain to summon Phra Dhammajayo, the elusive former abbot of the temple.
S44 gives sweeping powers to authorities to undertake steps such as restricting the entry and exit of people to the compound, summon people to report, give information and hand over evidence, arrest violators, undertake searches, impose fines/jail terms for those obstructing the search or other measures being undertaken by the authorities.
On the first day of the implementation of S44, nothing was found, while on the second day a tunnel was discovered. It is likely that more strange things will be found at a temple that once counted some of the country's richest people as its patrons and disciples.
Umesh Pandey is Editor, Bangkok Post.
What surprises many laymen like myself is the fact that it took so long for the government to issue the draconian S44 to search the temple grounds. Hundreds if not thousands of police officers and Department of Special Investigation (DSI) officers were there not too long ago, but after removing a barricade or two they retreated like a dog with its tail tucked between its legs.
This was despite reports that the temple was fortifying its defences with fences, military-grade barbed and whatever one can imagine. Despite witnessing all this, officers retreated, thus giving a free hand to the temple to strengthen its defences and/or hide whatever it had to.
It was not until this past week that authorities were allowed to enter the compound to search for the former abbot.
Think about it. Every person in this country has been talking about how Phra Dhammajayo paid a huge sum of money to escape the country months ago, even before the planned siege of the compound was contemplated.
There are reports that he was actually helped by some influential people to escape the clutches of the law.
It is not surprising that the former abbot is out of the country because even spokesman Ong-art Thamnitha, who was the face of the temple during the previous planned siege by authorities, reportedly escaped the compound and was rumoured to be in France.
The DSI, which is supposed to be the preeminent investigative body of Thailand, had to seek the help of French authorities to find out if Mr Ong-art was actually in Paris. So much for being the top authority to investigate.
The current search of the massive compound of Wat Phra Dhammakaya looks more like a drama to most of us.
One needs to ask whether the DSI and other authorities had done their homework before deploying 20 teams of DSI officials to search the temple. Along with these 20 teams are 3,600 police officers form Provincial Police Region 1, Police Region 7 and the Metropolitan Police Bureau, along with 900 soldiers. That is more than 4,500 people camped outside the temple and all looking for one person -- Phra Dhammajayo.
Even after this massive manhunt and the three previous times that authorities have tried to undertake a search, they have been unable to find the former abbot, I hope that some sane citizen of this country will do us all a favour by filing a case with a court to disband the DSI for negligence of duty.
What is needed from the authorities henceforth is for Prime Minister Prayut to expand the wording used for issuance of S44 number 5/2560 to include a clause that would prosecute all officials who helped the former abbot abscond.
As the Thai proverb goes, we don't eat grass, in a vague reference to buffaloes who graze and are considered to be stupid. Gen Prayut and the government should know that most if not all Thais know that they will not find what they are looking for at Wat Phra Dhammakaya, so why go through this drama that is wasting taxpayers' money?
Or is this drama a way to divert attention from the fact that the prime minister's brother, Preecha Chan-o-cha, is one of seven National Legislative Assembly members who have attended only a quarter of the minimum required number of meetings?
Whatever the reason may be, if nothing is found, then I for one would want heads to roll.
