The military courts of Thailand (Thai: ศาลทหาร; RTGS: san 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]
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]
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]
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) |
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| Military prefecture courts (Thai: ศาลมณฑลทหาร) |
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| 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) |
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| Military courts of last resort | ||
| Supreme Military Court (Thai: ศาลทหารสูงสุด) |
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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]
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| Monarchy |
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| Executive |
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| Legislative |
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| Judicial |
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| Ministries |
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| Constitutional organizations |
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| Independent departments |
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