Internal Security Operations Command
| กองอำนวยการรักษาความมั่นคงภายในราชอาณาจักร | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1965 |
| Type | Government agency |
| Jurisdiction | Nationwide |
| Headquarters | Ruen Ruedi Palace, Nakhon Ratchasima Road, Dusit District, Bangkok, Thailand |
| Motto | "Asādhuṃ Sādhunā Jine" (Pāḷi) ("Conquer Evil by the Power of Good") |
| Annual budget | 10,410.4 million baht (FY2017) |
| Minister responsible |
|
| Parent agency | Office of the Prime Minister |
| Key document |
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| Website | isocthai.go.th |
The Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) (Thai: กองอำนวยการรักษาความมั่นคงภายในราชอาณาจักร; rtgs: Kong Amnuai Kan Raksa Khwam Man Khong Phai Nai Ratcha-anachak) or ISOC (Thai: กอ.รมน.) is a unit of the Thai military devoted to national security. It was responsible for suppression of leftist groups during the 1970s and 1980s during which it was implicated in atrocities against activists and civilians. ISOC was implicated in a plot to assassinate Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. After Thaksin was deposed in a military coup, the junta transformed the ISOC into a "government within a government", giving it wide-reaching authority over the National Anti-Corruption Commission, the Department of Special Investigation, and the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO). The junta also authorized it to help provincial authorities in marketing OTOP products. In June 2007, the junta approved a draft national security bill which gave ISOC sweeping powers to handle "new forms of threats" to the country. The ISOC revamp modelled it after the US Department of Homeland Security, and gave ISOC sweeping new powers to allow the ISOC chief to implement security measures such as searches without seeking approval from the prime minister. As of June 2007, ISOC was headed by Army Commander-in-Chief and junta head General Sonthi Boonyaratglin. ISOC operates under the authority of the Office of the Prime Minister. Its FY2017 budget is 10,410.4 million baht.
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