"The Cabinet laid down the legal guidelines for seeking royal approval of the military assignments back in 2000," ministry permanent secretary General Sirichai Thanyasiri said. Sirichai said a constitutional clause requiring that the EC scrutinise bureaucratic appointments covered only those positions endorsed by the Cabinet.

Since the military appointment process involves the prime minister and not the Cabinet, the government has the power to bypass the EC, he said. He also confirmed that the new military line-up had been finalised on Thursday and was forwarded to caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday. Thaksin is expected to seek royal approval for the military reshuffle before departing today for Finland to attend the Asia-Europe Meeting.

Somchai case: Lawyer's wife rejects polygraphs

Missing Muslim lawyer Somchai Neelaphaijit's wife expressed concern that the Department of Special Investigation's use of a lie detector on witnesses may negatively affect the case.

In a letter to DSI spokesman Colonel Piyawat Kingket that she submitted yesterday, Angkhana Neelaphaijit said the test results of the lie detector test could not be used as evidence in court, even though they showed that witnesses had given fault testimony.

Moreover, she said suspects who were skilled in committing crimes and were familiar with how a lie detector works might manage to deceive the device, skewing the results. The results could justify or even confirm the innocence of the possible perpetrators in the eyes of the public, Angkhana said. She also urged the DSI investigators to be careful in conducting the polygraph tests to prevent mistakes that could affect the case or potentially exonerate the wrongdoers.

Upon receiving the petition from the lawyer's wife, DSI spokesman Piyawat defended the use of lie detectors, saying they were scientific and had been shown by medical research to be effective. He said even people who knew how the devices function would not be able to completely conceal a lie.

Peacekeeping : Troops urged for Lebanon mission

The National Security Council yesterday recommended that Thai troops be sent to Lebanon as part of the UN-mandated multinational force, Defence Minister Thammarak Issarangkura said yesterday.

Thammarak said the first units to be dispatch would be medical teams. The core of the contingent would be sent after the upcoming general election, scheduled for October 15. Foreign Affairs Ministry permanent-secretary Krit Kanjana-goonchorn said the main contingent should be deployed after the election.

Neither official said how many troops would be sent. Krit said he did not foresee any problems with the international community, saying most countries supported the UN resolution calling for the participation of international forces. Lebanon was crippled by nearly a month of attacks by Israel in retaliation for the kidnapping of two soldiers by the Hezbollah.