The ministry believes the cyber strategies are needed in the advent of cyber threats as many countries use cyber as military tools to gain advantages or to instigate unrest, said ministry spokesman Maj-General Kongcheep Tantrawanit.

“We need such strategies to increase our cyber potential and help the military carry out its mission effectively,” he said.

The proposed law aimed to give officials the liberty to use cyber measures and limit the liberty of rivals or enemies from interfering or attacking Thailand using cyber threats.

Under the proposal, a central body would be established to coordinate operations among state agencies in charge of national security.

Another centre would be established to monitor cyber threats and prepare proactive operations against cyber attackers.

Additional measures would be identified to ensure the cyber operations receive national cooperation.

Plans would be drawn up to ensure state agencies are able to deal with cyber crises.

Meanwhile, Kongcheep clarified why Prawit did not endorse any deal to procure military items from Russia.

After returning from his official visit to Russia on Sunday, Prawit denied talking to Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and Nikolai Platonovich, the secretary of Russia’s Security Council, about a deal to procure military items.

Kongcheep said the ministry had to follow steps and procedures when buying military items, while the state of the economy was also a factor.

“We have development plans for the short, medium and long term. Everything has a working life,” he said. “If we look over the long term, we must know when our equipment will stop functioning.”