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Military courts of Thailand

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The military courts of Thailand (Thai: ศาลทหาร; RTGSsan thahan) are judicial bodies with criminal jurisdiction over members of the Royal Thai Armed Forces and sometimes also over civilians as may be assigned by law,[1] as was the case from 25 May 2014 until 12 September 2016 following the 2014 Thai coup d'état.[2][3][4]

Unlike other courts in the judicial system of Thailand, military courts are subject to the Ministry of Defence and are operated by the military's Judge Advocate General's Department.[1]

Procedure

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The current procedural law governing the military courts is the Military Court Organisation Act 1955 (Thai: พระราชบัญญัติธรรมนูญศาลทหาร พ.ศ. ๒๔๙๘).[1] The act allows the Judge Advocate General of Thailand (Thai: เจ้ากรมพระธรรมนูญ) to establish court regulations.[5] In wartime or during the imposition of martial law, military courts may adopt special procedures.[1]

Judges

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Military court judges (Thai: ตุลาการ) are serving military officers of two types: "general judges" (Thai: ตุลาการปรกติ) and "judge-advocates" (Thai: ตุลาการพระธรรมนูญ).[1] General judges are officers for whom legal training is not a prerequisite. Judge-advocates are trained and accredited in the law.[1]

Structure

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According to the Military Court Organisation Act 1955, military courts consist of three tiers: courts of first (trial court), second (appellate court), and third instance (final court of appeal).[1]

Name Quorum Notes
Military courts of first instance
Military province courts (Thai: ศาลจังหวัดทหาร)
  • Established in every military province (Thai: จังหวัดทหาร), except provinces with Military Prefectural Commands (Thai: กองบัญชาการมณฑล)
  • Empowered to exercise jurisdiction over members of the armed forces other than commissioned officers
Military prefecture courts (Thai: ศาลมณฑลทหาร)
  • Established in every military prefecture (Thai: มณฑลทหาร), except the prefecture where the Bangkok Military Court is located
  • Empowered to exercise jurisdiction over all members of the armed forces other than general officers
Bangkok Military Court (Thai: ศาลทหารกรุงเทพ) Invested with unlimited jurisdiction
Military unit courts (Thai: ศาลประจำหน่วยทหาร) Established within a military body of no fewer than 1,000 members outside Thailand
Military courts of second instance
Central Military Court (Thai: ศาลทหารกลาง)
Military courts of last resort
Supreme Military Court (Thai: ศาลทหารสูงสุด)

The act permits the establishment of special military courts, known as war crime courts (Thai: ศาลอาญาศึก), in time of war or during periods of martial law.[5]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g "รู้จักศาลทหาร และข้อสังเกตเรื่องเขตอำนาจ". iLaw (in Thai). Bangkok. 2014-05-28. Retrieved 2018-07-07.
  2. ^ "Military Court in Thailand under NCPO regime". iLaw Freedom of Expression Documentation Center. iLaw. 2015-10-29. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  3. ^ Audjarint, Wasamon (2016-09-19). "'No justice in military courts'". The Nation. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  4. ^ "Thailand: No New Military Trials of Civilians". Human Rights Watch. 2016-09-13. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  5. ^ a b admin (2014-05-29). "ศาลทหารคืออะไร ? ข้อควรรู้เกี่ยวกับศาลทหาร". news.mthai.com (in Thai). Bangkok: MThai.com. Retrieved 2018-07-07.
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