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Thailand

The legal system of Thailand is fundamentally a civil law system. A significant proportion of fundamental legal principles are derived from the codified systems of continental Europe. However, certain significant judgments of the Supreme Court become precedents for the lower courts to follow their legal interpretation and reasoning.

The Court of Justice of Thailand is basically classified into three levels consisting of the Supreme Court, Courts of Appeal and Courts of First Instance. The Court of Justice has sought to improve case handling efficiency through four measures, specifically an increase in the number of courts in order to provide more accesses to justice; the establishment of new divisions and court branches; the establishment of specialized courts adjudicating cases by expert judges under specific procedure laws; and a commitment to promote the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) as a diversionary measure. In terms of human rights protection, the Court of Justice prioritizes principles of human rights in all proceedings. Thais and foreigners are equal before the Court. The recognized international standards of human rights and criminal justice are effectively applied to the Thai law context. Furthermore, the innovation of information technology is also applied in various aspects of court management, such as e-Filing system, payment of court fees via the Electronic Data Capture (EDC), and etc.

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