Military courts of Thailand


The military courts of Thailand 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, as was the case from 25 May 2014 until 12 September 2016 following the 2014 Thai coup d'état.
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.

Procedure

The current procedural law governing the military courts is the Military Court Organisation Act 1955. The act allows the Judge Advocate General of Thailand to establish court regulations. In wartime or during the imposition of martial law, military courts may adopt special procedures.

Judges

Military court judges are serving military officers of two types: "general judges" and "judge-advocates". General judges are officers for whom legal training is not a prerequisite. Judge-advocates are trained and accredited in the law.

Structure

According to the Military Court Organisation Act 1955, military courts consist of three tiers: courts of , second, and third instance.
NameQuorumNotes
Military courts of first instanceMilitary courts of first instanceMilitary courts of first instance
Military province courts
  • Established in every military province, except provinces with Military Prefectural Commands
  • Empowered to exercise jurisdiction over members of the armed forces other than commissioned officers
    • Military prefecture courts
  • 2 commissioned officers as general judges
  • 1 judge-advocate
  • Established in every military prefecture, 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
  • 2 commissioned officers as general judges
  • 1 judge-advocate
    		• Invested with unlimited jurisdiction
    Military unit courts
  • 2 commissioned officers as general judges
  • 1 judge-advocate
    		• Established within a military body of no fewer than 1,000 members outside Thailand
    Military courts of second instanceMilitary courts of second instanceMilitary courts of second instance
    Central Military Court
  • 1 or 2 general officers as general judges
  • 1 or 2 colonels or equivalents as general judges
  • 2 judge-advocates
    • Military courts of last resortMilitary courts of last resortMilitary courts of last resort
    Supreme Military Court
  • 2 general officers as general judges
  • 3 judge-advocates
    • The act permits the establishment of special military courts, known as war crime courts, in time of war or during periods of martial law.