AFP reported that on July 15, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha said the country had passed a new law banning protests without permission.

Protesters gathered outside the Ministry of Finance in Bangkok in early 2014. (Source: AFP/VNA)

The move would extend the military's ban on protests after the regime leaves office.

According to Prime Minister Prayut, the above bill has been published in the Royal Gazette. This is the final step before a law comes into effect.

The law requires protest organizers to apply for official permission at least 24 hours before holding a march.

"This law applies to all forms of protests. It will be an important tool for the next government to maintain peace and order," Prayut told reporters in Bangkok.

Political protests have been illegal since Thailand's generals seized power in a May 2014 coup that ousted the elected government of former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra./.

(According to AFP/VN+)