In Thailand public participation is in theory part of the system of government. There are guarantees in the constitution, a freedom of information act, and clauses in the environmental legislation. However, there are many limitations to these laws, both legally and in practice. Previous to the new constitution, constitutional provisions had to be enacted by national laws passed by parliament. Within laws and regulations often the public right to information is subject to the discretion of the government officials in charge (Tan 1998).