COURT OF JUSTICE THAILAND 2021 ANNUAL STATISTICAL REPORT (B.E. 2564)
• Written and Produced by Data System and Statistics Section, Office of The Planning and Budget, Office of the Judiciary, Thailand. • Proofread by Office of International Affairs, Office of the Judiciary, Thailand. • www.coj.go.th • http://oppb.coj.go.th • Tel. (+66)2 541 2344 • e-mail : [email protected]
COURT OF JUSTICE THAILAND 2021 ANNUAL STATISTICAL REPORT (B.E. 2564)
PREFACE The 2021 Annual Statistical Report of the Court of Justice of Thailand (B.E. 2564) is a compilation of judicial statistics from courts under the Court of Justice nationwide, including the Supreme Court, appellate courts and courts of first instance throughout the Kingdom and other interesting works for the benefits of administration, study, reference, analysis and research. This statistics does not only reflect an aspect of the Thai society which is part of information on the Thai justice system, but also can be useful in solving social problems to a certain extent. In addition, it is aimed at benefiting organizations including external organizations and those who are interested in regardless of whether or not they work for the Office of the Judiciary. Finally, the Office of the Judiciary would like to convey the gratitude to every courts and administrative offices of the Court of Justice, Region I – IX, for their cooperation resulting in a success as aimed. Office of the Judiciary
CONTENT A | THE COURT OF JUSTICE OF THAILAND VISION AND MISSION 6 “EASY ACCESS TO JUSTICE” 7 - Policies of the President of the Supreme Court THAI JUDICIAL SYSTEM 8 JUDICIAL SYSTEM CHART 9 B | STATISTICS OF THE COURT OF JUSTICE OVERVEW 12 - i :Time to disposition 15 - ii : Duration of case pending to 16 following year - iii : The amount in dispute 17 - iv : Application for provisional release 18 - v : Penalties and defendants 18 - vi : Juvenile and Family Law 20 - vii : Human trafficking in Thailand 21 CHAPTER 1 | THE SUPREME COURT 1.1 Case filed and case disposed of 25 1.2 Top 5 causes of action and offences in 25 new cases 1.3 Types of case in civil litigations in the 26 Supreme Court 1.4 Types of case in criminal litigations 27 in the Supreme Court CHAPTER 2 | APPELLATE COURTS 2.1 Case filed and case disposed of 31 2.2 Top 5 causes of action and offences in 32 new cases 2.3 Types of case in the Court of Appeal 33 2.4 Types of case in the Courts of Appeal, 34 Region I – IX 2.5 Types of case in the Court of Appeal 35 for Specialized Cases CHAPTER 3 | COURTS OF FIRST INSTANCE 3.1 Statistics of Cases in Nationwide - i : Courts not under the jurisdiction 40 of offices of regional Chief Justices - ii : Courts under the jurisdiction of 41 offices of regional Chief Justices - iii : Top 5 causes of action and offences 42 in new cases 3.2 General Courts - i : Civil Courts 44 - ii : Criminal Courts 45 - iii : Criminal Courts for Corruption 46 and Misconduct Cases - iv : Provincial Courts 47 - v : Kwaeng Courts 48 3.3 Juvenile and Family Courts - i : The Juvenile and Family Cases 51 - ii : Top 5 causes of action and offences 52 in new cases 3.4 Specialized Courts - i : The Central Bankruptcy Court 54 - ii : The Central Tax Court 55 - iii : The Central Intellectual Property 56 and International Trade Court - iv : Labour Courts 57
A | THE COURT OF JUSTICE OF THAILAND
MISSION 1. To deliver justice for building equal opportunities and society. 2. To develop and to construct a fast, convenient, up-to-date and universal supporting system of the administration of justice. 3. To enhance judicial and justice cooperation both domestic and international level to the administration of justice. 4. To maintain trust and confidence in the administration of justice for peaceful and secured society of Thailand. VISION “The Court of Justice is an institution delivering justice for peaceful, fair and equal society under the rule of law” -- 6 -- 2021 ANNUAL STATISTICAL REPORT (B.E. 2564)
“EASY ACCESS TO JUSTICE” Policies of the President of the Supreme Court of Thailand 3. Create a work system to accommodate changes to achieve continuous and sustainable development - promote the use of alternative dispute resolution mechanism and litigation to comprehensively enhance the consumer protection to address the new normal consumption and specific types of dispute - create the ecosystem facilitating the adoption of digital technology in the administration of justice for people to ensure convenience, speediness, easy access, transparency and accountability by prioritizing the personal data protection - strengthen the judiciary’s role as a source of knowledge for people to understand and trust the justice process together with promoting research for organizational development to accommodate the changing social context 4. Promote the capacity building, advancement and well-being of personnel - support the personal development of judges, judicial service officer as well as relevant personnel of the Court of Justice in order to gain up-to-date and useful skills in performing their duties - promote opportunities for personnel to pursue an uninterrupted career path based on their knowledge and expertise, not only to guarantee to the people a fair adjudication, but also to provide fair and equal opportunity for career advancement - uplift the health care system of personnel to enhance the efficiency of the administration of justice for people Piyakul Boonperm President of the Supreme Court 1. Promote the role of the Court of Justice in protecting rights and liberties of people under the rule of law - enhance and integrate remand and provisional release processes to reduce unnecessary detention - uplift the protection of injured person's rights to obtain remedy in every aspect in a timely and material manner - develop the risk assessment system for provisional release and promote the application of legal measures in lieu of bail security together with ensuring safety and security in the society 2. Ensure a health safety in court proceedings - implement hygienic measures for the people and personnel involved in court proceedings - set up a case management system to complete cases within the specified time standard under the COVID-19 pandemic - promote the Electronic Court Procedure at all stages of litigation for parties with technology readiness 2021 ANNUAL STATISTICAL REPORT (B.E. 2564) – 7 --
The Court of Justice of Thailand is classified into three levels consisting of courts of first instance, appellate courts and the Supreme Court (a.k.a. “Sarn Dika” in Thai). Courts of first instance are categorized as general courts, juvenile and family courts and specialized courts. The general courts are ordinary courts which have authorities to try and adjudicate criminal and civil cases. These general courts are : Civil Courts, Criminal Courts, Provincial Courts and Kwaeng Courts. Offices of regional Chief Justice together with their regional Administrative Offices of the Court of Justice headed by the Chief Justice of that region are responsible for the courts in the region. As a result, court management and administrative support services with respect to Provincial Courts, Kwaeng Courts and Juvenile and Family Courts in Region I – IX are provided by the regional Administrative Office of each region. The Court of Appeal handles an appeal against a judgment or order of Civil Courts and Criminal Courts. Meanwhile, Regional Courts of Appeal handle an appeal against a judgment or order of the other Courts of First Instance located within their regions. The Establishment of the Court of Appeal for Specialized Cases Act B.E. 2558 (2015) was enacted to facilitate judges with various expertise in adjudicating specialized cases with expediency and uniformity and conform to the new appeal and Dika appeal system for ordinary civil cases already amended by laws. The Act empowers the Court of Appeal for Specialized Cases to try and adjudicate cases appealed from specialized courts as follows: - The Central Intellectual Property and International Trade Court; - The Central Tax Court; - Labor Courts; - The Central Bankruptcy Court; - Juvenile and Family Courts. According to the promulgation of the Civil Procedure Code Amendment Act (No. 27) B.E. 2558 (2015) which has come into force since November 8, 2558 (2015), the Supreme Court shall have the power to consider whether cases submitted for the Dika appeal to the Supreme Court deserves the permission to appeal for the adjudication of the Supreme Court. THAI JUDICIAL SYSTEM -- 8 -- 2021 ANNUAL STATISTICAL REPORT (B.E. 2564)
The Supreme Court The Court of Appeal Civil Court Criminal Court Bangkok South Civil Court Bangkok South Criminal Court Thon Buri Civil Court Thon Buri Criminal Court Taling Chan Civil Court Taling Chan Criminal Court Phra Khanong Civil Court Phra Khanong Criminal Court Min Buri Civil Court Min Buri Criminal Court Criminal Courts for Corruption and Misconduct Cases. The Court of Appeal, Region I-IX The Court of Appeal for Specialized Cases Provincial Courts in Region I - IX Kwaeng Courts in Region I – IX The Central Labour Court Labour Courts in Region I –- IX The Central Tax Court The Central Bankruptcy Court The Central Intellectual Property and International Trade Court Juvenile and Family Courts Courts of First Instance Thonburi Kwaeng Court Dusit Kwaeng Court Pathumwan Kwaeng Court Don Mueang Kwaeng Court Bang Bon Kweang Court + APPEAL APPEAL APPEAL DIKA APPEAL JUDICIAL SYSTEM CHART 2021 ANNUAL STATISTICAL REPORT (B.E. 2564) – 9 --
B | STATISTICS OF THE COURT OF JUSTICE
The Court of Justice of Thailand is classified into three levels consisting of court of first instance, appellate courts, and the Supreme Court (referred to as the Dika Court). Cases under a jurisdiction of the Court of Justice are categorized as follows: civil case, consumer protection case, criminal case, bankruptcy case, tax case, intellectual property and international trade case, labor case, environmental case, election case, juvenile and family case, tourism case, and corruption and misconduct case. The statistical data in this annual report was collected from 274 courts : 262 courts of first instance, 11 appellate courts and the Supreme Court (the data as at December 31, 2021). Thailand has changed the appeal system to the Supreme Court for civil cases from the rights-based system to the permission-based system in 2015. Thai law traditionally has allowed parties to appeal any court of first instance decision to the appellate courts and subsequently the latter’s decision to the Supreme Court (“Sarn Dika” in Thai). Then the Supreme Court’s judgment is final. According to the Act (Act No. 27) amending the Civil Procedure Code, the Supreme Court now has the power to grant permission to file a dika appeal if it deems the question to be a significant matter worthy of a decision. If the Supreme Court does not permit the dika appeal, a judgment or an order rendered by the Court of Appeal is final. As a result, the adjudication of the Court of Justice will genuinely be effective and fair to all related people without delay. Although, cases filing to the court nationwide in 2021 were over 1.5 million cases and 76% of them were disposed of (table 1). According to COVID-19 virus outbreak, the number of case Filed decreased 12% from 1.7 million to 1.5 million and the number of disposed cases also decreased 22% from 1.5 million to 1.1 million. Thus, the total cases during trial at the end of the year increased by 53%. To prevent and stop the pandemic situation, the adjournment of hearings has been announced in the courts of first instance. As a result, the number of new cases filled with courts and cases submitted for leave to appeal were decreased. OVERVIEW judiciary statistics, Thailand B.E. 2564 (2021) -- 12 -- 2021 ANNUAL STATISTICAL REPORT (B.E. 2564)
Figure 2 shows that, in the previous five years (2017 - 2021), the number of case filed of the Court of Justice increased to 1.9 million cases in 2018 – 2019, but, since 2020, the court cases have been declined due to COVID-19 quarantine and isolation policies. Thus, most court hearings had to be adjourned. Figure 2: cases filed in total and cases disposed of nationwide from 2017 to 2021 1,803,123 1,957,566 1,943,919 1,779,743 1,560,070 1,554,575 1,724,083 1,693,849 1,541,225 1,194,785 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 Case Filed Case Disposed of Year Case Filed in Total Case Disposed of Percentage of Case Disposed of Case During Trial 2020 1,779,743 1,541,225 86.60 238,518 2021 1,560,070 1,194,785 76.59 365,285 Table 1: Total cases nationwide 2020 - 2021 Figure 1: Total cases nationwide 2020-2021 Case Filed Case Disposed of Case During trial 2020 2021 -219,673 (-12.3%) -346,440 (-22.5%) +126,767 (+53.1%) 2021 ANNUAL STATISTICAL REPORT (B.E. 2564) – 13 --
Table 2: Court cases classified by levels of Thai courts Court levels Case Filed Case Disposed of Year 2020 Year 2021 +/- (%) Year 2020 Year 2021 +/- (%) The Supreme Court 11,471 8,870 -22.67 9,048 6,267 -30.74 Appellate Courts 61,327 52,914 -13.72 52,014 44,832 -13.81 Courts of First Instance 1,706,945 1,498,286 -12.22 1,480,163 1,143,686 -22.73 Total 1,779,743 1,560,070 -12.34 1,541,225 1,194,785 -22.48 Table 3: Civil litigations classified by levels of Thai courts Civil Litigations Court Levels Case Filed Case Disposed of Year 2020 Year 2021 +/- (%) Year 2020 Year 2021 +/- (%) The Supreme Court 6,213 4,186 -32.63 5,041 2,895 -42.57 Appellate Courts 19,343 17,470 -9.68 16,989 15,136 -10.91 Courts of First Instance 1,168,826 1,009,302 -13.65 981,427 728,494 -25.77 Total 1,194,382 1,030,958 -13.68 1,003,457 746,525 -25.60 Table 4: Criminal litigations classified by levels of Thai courts Criminal Litigations Court Level Case Filed Case Disposed of Year 2020 Year 2021 +/- (%) Year 2020 Year 2021 +/- (%) The Supreme Court 5,258 4,684 -10.92 4,007 3,372 -15.85 Courts 0f Appeal 41,984 35,444 -15.58 35,025 29,696 -15.21 Courts of First Instance 538,119 488,984 -9.13 498,736 415,192 -16.75 Total 585,361 529,112 -9.61 537,768 448,260 -16.64 Civil and Criminal Litigations -- 14 -- 2021 ANNUAL STATISTICAL REPORT (B.E. 2564)
Timeliness is an essential aspect of resolving cases and providing the finality which is the length of time taken by the court to process cases. i : Time to disposition Courts Time to Disposition Shorter than 1 Mth 1 Mth to 3 Mths 3 Mths to 6 Mths 6 Mths to 1 Yr 1 Yr to 2 Yrs 2 Yrs to 3 Yrs 3 Yrs to 4 Yrs 4 Yrs to 5 Yrs Longer than 5 Yrs Total The Supreme Court 11 692 2,870 2,321 372 1 0 0 0 6,267 Appellate Courts 6,850 24,833 11,795 1,270 84 0 0 0 0 44,832 Civil Courts 2,780 11,580 16,762 15,221 3,218 140 10 3 2 49,716 Criminal Courts 11,063 2,057 1,215 1,740 949 130 15 3 1 17,173 Criminal Courts for Corruption and Misconduct Cases 60 219 260 274 112 4 0 1 0 930 Provincial Courts in Region I-IX 250,606 201,248 160,850 91,054 12,029 212 5 0 0 716,004 Kwaeng Courts in Region I-IX 88,567 79,697 83,736 56,906 7,690 40 1 1 0 316,638 Juvenile and Family Courts 6,221 11,798 5,851 1,990 288 6 0 0 0 26,154 Central Bankruptcy Court 107 1,445 2,363 1,505 598 72 1 0 0 6,091 Central Intellectual Property and International Trade Court 1,060 79 130 248 232 49 3 0 0 1,801 Central Tax Court 4 17 40 58 4 0 0 0 0 123 Labour Courts 237 1,447 3,179 3,117 1,061 15 0 0 0 9,056 Total 367,566 335,112 289,051 175,704 26,637 669 35 8 3 1,194,785 Table 5: Time to disposition for disposed cases The above table shows from the beginning to the end in reporting period of 2021 as the Court of Justice of Thailand mostly resolved cases less than 6 months. 2021 ANNUAL STATISTICAL REPORT (B.E. 2564) – 15 --
Cases filed but not yet disposed of lead to the court’s high volume of pending caseloads. Examining the time length of pending cases make clear, for example, the number and types of case drawing near or about to surpass the court’s case processing time. ii : Duration of case pending to following year Courts Duration of Pending Shorter than 6 Mths 6 Mths to 1 Yr 1 Yr to 2 Yrs 2 Yrs to 3 Yrs 3 Yrs to 4 Yrs 4 Yrs to 5 Yrs Longer than 5 Yrs Total The Supreme Court 2,004 518 80 1 0 0 0 2,603 Appellate Courts 7,614 418 50 0 0 0 0 8,082 Civil Courts 20,769 7,806 7,403 474 82 16 6 36,556 Criminal Courts 4,225 2,819 2,205 329 54 11 14 9,657 Criminal Courts for Corruption and Misconduct Cases 701 311 195 11 2 0 0 1,220 Provincial Courts in Region I-IX 139,231 34,867 15,734 559 7 0 6 190,404 Kwaeng Courts in Region I-IX 66,834 19,425 8,265 96 3 0 0 94,623 Juvenile and Family Courts 4,678 1,099 489 41 1 0 0 6,308 Central Bankruptcy Court 2,802 749 578 65 0 0 0 4,194 Central Intellectual Property and International Trade Court 416 260 251 31 8 1 0 967 Central Tax Court 78 64 51 1 0 0 0 194 Labour Courts 4,765 3,403 2,268 40 1 0 0 10,477 Total 254,117 71,739 37,569 1,648 158 28 26 365,285 Table 6: Duration of pending -- 16 -- 2021 ANNUAL STATISTICAL REPORT (B.E. 2564)
The claim computable in terms of money in 2021 are civil cases for 909,706,466,943.67 Baht, consumer cases for 827,751,455,462.07 Baht and environmental cases for 1,024,505,048.87 Baht. Cases Cases with non-monetary claim Cases of Claim Computable in Terms of Money Total Cases Lower 50,000 Baht Over 50,000 Baht to 300,000 Baht Over 300,000 Baht to 500,000 Baht Over 500,000 Baht to 1 million Baht Over 1 Million Baht to 5 Millions Baht Over 5 Millions Baht to 10 Millions Baht Over 10 Millions Baht to 50 Millions Baht Over 50 Millions Baht to 100 Millions Baht Over 100 Millions Baht Civil Cases 133,699 22,991 36,953 8,217 9,080 11,798 2,346 2,247 502 470 228,303 Consumer Cases 1,785 137,807 321,087 44,461 44,796 30,917 2,646 1,422 71 50 585,042 Environmen -tal Cases 739 10 34 9 7 15 7 1 1 1 824 Tourism Cases (Civil) - - - - - - - - - - - Tourism Cases (Consumer) - - - - - - - - - - - Total 136,223 160,808 358,074 52,687 53,883 42,730 4,999 3,670 574 521 814,169 Table 7: Cases filed with court of first Instance classified by the amount in dispute The cases are classified by the amount in disputes under civil law. The cases with non-monetary claim are, for instance, a request for enforcing the defendant to take some action or restrain from doing certain action for the benefit of the plaintiff without any request or claim for a sum of money or certain properties. These are cases where the relief sought is to cease grievances or damage and cannot be computed in term of money. However, in 2021, most of civil litigations were consumer cases with the claims amount over 50,000 Baht to 300,000 Baht. Note: No tourism cases in civil law and consumer law filed with the court in this year iii : The amount in dispute 2021 ANNUAL STATISTICAL REPORT (B.E. 2564) – 17 --
Provisional release is a mean whereby a person continues to enjoy freedom or regains it after having been placed in preventive detention during the criminal proceedings. Such application is for provisional release without bail, or with bail, or with bail and security submitted to the court to consider for a release of an accused or a defendant for a specified period of time. iv : Application for provisional release Table 8: Applications for provisional release Number of Applications Granted by the Court Denied by the Court Absconding During Provisional Release Thai Foreigner Thai Foreigner Thai Foreigner Thai Foreigner 248,848 3,544 223,018 2,722 25,830 822 5,294 164 Note: The number of applications = granted + denied by the court Overall, in 2021, there were 252,392 applications for provisional release in total. In addition, 225,740 applications or 89% of the total applications were granted by the court and there were 2% of the accused or the defendants having absconded after getting the provisional release. Important purposes of the Criminal Law Enforcement in Thailand are to put people’s living in order, to protect innocent people, and to impose penalties for persons who violate any social rules considered as criminal offences. In 2021, 38% of defendants in Thai courts were decided to suspend punishment or wait for sentence. However, the most common type of sentence rendered by Thai courts was fines. The defendants in Thai courts are not only Thai people but also foreigners who violated the law of Thailand. Moreover, considering gender of defendants, male defendants committed more crimes than female defendants did. v : Penalties and defendants -- 18 -- 2021 ANNUAL STATISTICAL REPORT (B.E. 2564)
Regarding to the age of defendants, most Thais who violated the law in 2021 were those aging between 25 years old and 40 years old. However, the number of defendants in Table 9 and 10 was sentenced by the courts of first instance except juvenile and family courts which applied different penalty for children under juvenile and family law. Types of Penalty Thai Defendants Foreign Defendants Male Female Total Male Female Total Death 75 17 92 3 5 8 Imprisonment 72,509 8,947 81,456 1,318 164 1,482 Fines 125,538 35,325 160,863 4,267 1,247 5,514 Confinement 1,090 162 1,252 38 8 46 Forfeiture of property 191 50 241 1 0 1 Suspended or Deferred sentence 155,998 25,155 181,153 9,652 2,798 12,450 Other 33,911 25,740 59,651 1,601 546 2,147 Total 389,312 95,396 484,708 16,880 4,768 21,648 Table 9: The number of defendants in criminal punishment in courts of first instance Ages Thai Defendants Male Female Total over 18 years old to 25 years old 82,867 9,747 92,434 over 25 years old to 40 years old 194,874 43,770 238,644 over 40 years old to 60 years old 96,960 33,965 130,925 over 60 years old 14,791 7,914 22,705 Total 389,312 95,396 484,708 Table 10: Number of Thai defendants classified by ages penalties and defendants 2021 ANNUAL STATISTICAL REPORT (B.E. 2564) – 19 --
The Juvenile and Family Court and Procedure Act B.E. 2553 (2010) was effective on 22 May 2011. It aims to provide the rights and welfare protection and the practicesfor children, youth, women and family members. As a result, the procedure in the Juvenile and Family Courts involves the convention on the rights of the child and convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women in order to be in line with the constitution. Most criminal cases filing to juvenile and family courts have been applied with special measures for correction, treatment and rehabilitation as showed in Table 11. The implementation of special measure of both Section 90 and Section 132 has more successfulrate than unsuccessfulrate. vi : Juvenile and Family Law Table 11: The Number of cases delivered to measures for correction, treatment and rehabilitation Measures Number of Cases Using Special Measure in lieu of Prosecution / Measures for Correction, Treatment and Rehabilitation Successful Implementation Unsuccessful Implementation In Process Special Measure in lieu of Prosecution Section 90 515 38 581 Measures for Correction, Treatment and Rehabilitation Section 132 8,613 276 6,946 Total 9,128 314 7,527 Moreover, to protect children and reduce domestic violence, Thailand established the Child Protection Act B.E. 2546 (2003) and the Victims of Domestic Violence Victim Protection Act B.E.2550 (2007). Table 12: The number of case filed and case disposed of under laws relating to juvenile and family matters. Act Case Filed Case Disposed of Case Disposed of (%) Child Protection Act B.E. 2546 (2003) 33 32 96.97 Victims of Domestic Violence Victim Protection Act B.E.2550 (2007) 178 151 84.83 -- 20 -- 2021 ANNUAL STATISTICAL REPORT (B.E. 2564)
Human trafficking is a serious problem for Thai society and all over the world because human trafficking is a crime that harms on human rights. Therefore, it becomes the main issue in the world. Human trafficking is also regarded as an international crime. it is a serious problem that every country, including Thailand, should cooperate in order to solve the problem. In Thailand, Anti-Trafficking in Person Act B.E. 2551 (2008) Anti-Trafficking in Person Act B.E. 2558 (2015) and Human Trafficking Criminal Procedure Act, B.E. 2559 (2016) have been established to solve out this problem. It has a significant principle as a consequence of human trafficking problem which is a major problem that affects human rights and danger to the country’ssocial stability and sustainable development. Therefore, the Human Trafficking Criminal Procedure has been specifically established in order to have an efficient prevention and suppression of human trafficking. In addition, it will help any related cases be in the proceedingsfaster and more fairly. However, according to the fact that Thailand is a source, transit, and destination country for human trafficking, the Royal Thai Government prioritizes this issue as an urgent agenda and should be executed in every dimension to protect and reduce numbers of victims for both sex and labor exploitation. Thus, the Court of Justice of Thailand hasfollowed the policy by making an immediate and effective prosecution in courts of firstinstance. vii : Human trafficking in Thailand Courts Case Pending from Previous Year New Case Case Filed in Total Case Disposed of Case Disposed of (%) Case Pending to Following Year Criminal Courts 46 70 116 43 37.07 73 Provincial Courts 50 45 95 35 36.84 60 Juvenile and Family Courts 9 12 21 10 47.62 11 Total Number of Cases 105 127 232 88 37.93 144 Table 13: Human trafficking cases in courts of first instance in 2021 Note : case filed in total = case pending from previous year + new cases 2021 ANNUAL STATISTICAL REPORT (B.E. 2564) – 21 --
Number of Case Disposed of (from the date of filing plaint until the date of disposing of) 6 11 6 9 9 2 6 4 3 13 9 0 0 5 1 4 0 0 Shorter than 1 Month over 1 Month to 3 Months over 3 Months to 6 Months over 6 Months to 1 Year Over 1 Year to 2 Years Over 2 Years Criminal Courts Provincial Courts Juvenile and Family Courts Human trafficking cases in the courts of first instance Penalties in Human Trafficking Cases Defendants Death - Imprisonment 75 Fines - Suspension of Punishment 7 Other - Length of Prison Sentences Defendants Shorter than 1 Year 1 Over 1 Year to 2 Years 1 Over 2 Years to 3 Years 2 Over 3 Years to 5 Years 9 Over 5 Years to 10 Years 26 Over 10 Years 36 -- 22 -- 2021 ANNUAL STATISTICAL REPORT (B.E. 2564)
CHAPTER 1 | THE SUPREME COURT
1.1 Case filed and case disposed of Types of Case Case Pending from Previous Year New Case Filed Case Filed in Total Case Disposed of Case Disposed of (%) Case Pending to Following Year Civil Litigations 1,172 3,014 4,186 2,895 1,291 1,172 Criminal Litigations 1,251 3,433 4,684 3,372 1,312 1,251 Total 2,423 6,447 8,870 6,267 2,603 2,423 Note: Case filed in total = cases pending from previous year + new case filed 1.2 Top 5 causes of action and offences in new cases 227 173 133 97 82 Causes of Action 839 656 626 597 358 Offences 1. Land dispute. 2. Torts. 3. Eviction. 4. Breach of contract. 5. Revoke juristic acts. 1. Offences relating to Narcotics Act B.E. 2522 (1979). 2. Offences Causing Death. 3. Offences relating to Firearm, Ammunition, Explosive, Firework and Imitation Firearm Act B.E. 2490 (1947). 4. Petty offences. 5. Offences of Taking by Stealth and Snatching. 2021 ANNUAL STATISTICAL REPORT (B.E. 2564) – 25 --
1.3 Types of case in civil litigations in the Supreme Court Types of Cases Case Pending from Previous Years New Case Filed Case Filed in Total Case Disposed of Case Disposed of (%) Case Pending to Following Year Civil Case 423 958 1,381 922 66.76 459 Consumer Case 262 507 769 380 49.41 389 Environmental Case 9 16 25 13 52.00 12 Administrative Case 10 14 24 17 70.83 7 Commercial Case 73 217 290 217 74.83 73 Tax Case 26 59 85 33 38.82 52 Labour Case 308 1,149 1,457 1,235 84.76 222 Intellectual Property and International Trade Case 16 18 34 18 52.94 16 Juvenile and Family Case 20 42 62 31 50.00 31 Bankruptcy Case 21 20 41 21 51.22 20 Bankruptcy Case (Business Rehabilitation) 4 14 18 8 44.44 10 Election Case 0 0 0 0 - 0 Civil Case for Persons Holding of Political Positions 0 0 0 0 - 0 Total 1,172 3,014 4,186 2,895 69.16 1,291 Note 1: Case filed in total = case pending from previous year + new case filed Note 2: The administrative case in the Supreme Court is relevant to a civil cause of action of administrative case but not under the jurisdiction of Administrative Courts. Note 3: The Supreme Court has power to try and adjudicate cases relevant to cases in which the Prime Minister, a Minister, a member of the House of the Representatives, a senator or other political official is accused of becoming unusually wealthy, committing misconduct in office according to the Criminal Code, performing duties dishonestly, or of corruption under other laws. -- 26 -- 2021 ANNUAL STATISTICAL REPORT (B.E. 2564)
1.4 Types of case in criminal lawsuits in the Supreme Court Types of Case Case Pending from Previous Years New Case Filed Case Filed in Total Case Disposed of Case Disposed of (%) Case Pending to Following Year Criminal Case 1,068 3,173 4,241 3,106 73.24 1,135 Consumer Case 0 0 0 0 - 0 Environmental Case 148 212 360 217 60.28 143 Criminal Case for Persons Holding of Political Positions 7 26 33 14 42.42 19 Appellate Case of Criminal Case for Persons Holding of Political Positions 6 2 8 5 62.50 3 Intellectual Property and International Trade Case 8 5 13 9 69.23 4 Juvenile and Family Case 13 15 28 20 71.43 8 Bankruptcy Case 1 0 1 1 100.00 0 Total 1,251 3,433 4,684 3,372 71.99 1,312 Note 1: Case filed in total = case pending from previous year + new cases Note 2: Consumer and environmental cases as criminal matters in the Supreme Court are relevant criminal cases filed with the Consumer Case Division and the Environmental Case Division in the Supreme Court. Note 3: The Supreme Court has power to try and adjudicate cases relevant to cases in which the Prime Minister, a Minister, a member of the House of the Representatives, a senator or other political official is accused of becoming unusually wealthy, committing misconduct in office according to the Criminal Code, performing duties dishonestly, or of corruption under other laws. 2021 ANNUAL STATISTICAL REPORT (B.E. 2564) – 27 --
CHAPTER 2 | APPELLATE COURTS
Thai Appellate Courts: • The Court of Appeal • The Courts of Appeal, Region I-IX • The Court of Appeal for Specialized Cases
2.1 Case filed and case disposed of Note: case pending from previous year + new case filed – case disposed of = case pending to following year Courts Case Pending from Previous Year New Case Filed Case Disposed of Case Disposed of (%) Case Pending to Following Year Civil case Criminal case Total Civil case Criminal case Total Civil case Criminal case Total Civil case Criminal case Total The Court of Appeal 973 5,475 6,448 2,914 14,253 17,167 2,875 14,912 17,787 75.32 1,012 4,816 5,828 Courts of Appeal, Region Region I 202 259 461 1,684 2,021 3,705 1,677 2,147 3,824 91.79 209 133 342 Region II 209 332 541 979 1,691 2,670 1,081 1,866 2,947 91.79 107 157 264 Region III 165 174 339 1,556 1,516 3,072 1,477 1,563 3,040 89.12 244 127 371 Region IV 200 176 376 1,906 1,510 3,416 1,879 1,585 3,464 91.35 227 101 328 Region V 34 46 80 715 1,246 1,961 740 1,275 2,015 98.73 9 17 26 Region VI 88 149 237 931 1,354 2,285 888 1,366 2,254 89.37 131 137 268 Region VII 86 73 159 854 1,863 2,717 871 1,844 2,715 94.40 69 92 161 Region VIII 123 110 233 1,005 1,564 2,569 1,019 1,636 2,655 94.75 109 38 147 Region IX 76 145 221 629 1,319 1,948 647 1,355 2,002 92.30 58 109 167 The Court of Appeal for Specialized Cases 198 20 218 1,943 148 2,091 1,982 147 2,129 92.20 159 21 180 Total 2,354 6,959 9,313 15,116 28,485 43,601 15,136 29,696 44,832 84.73 2,334 5,748 8,082 The Court of Appeal handles an appeal against a judgment or order of Civil Courts and Criminal Courts. Meanwhile the Regional Courts of Appeal handle appeals against judgments or orders of the other Courts of First Instance located within their regions. The Court of Appeal for Specialized Cases was established on 1 October 2016 to handle appeals from specialized courts and juvenile and family courts. 2021 ANNUAL STATISTICAL REPORT (B.E. 2564) – 31 --
2.2 Top 5 causes of action and offences in new cases 1,390 866 787 621 433 Causes of Action 20,214 3,802 3,378 2,237 2,026 Offences 1. Torts. 2. Eviction. 3. Land dispute. 4. Breach of contract. 5. Contract of guarantee. 1. Offences relating to Narcotics Act B.E. 2522 (1979). 2. Offences relating to Land Traffic Act B.E. 2522 (1979). 3. Offences of Taking by Stealth and Snatching. 4. Offences relating to Firearm, Ammunition, Explosive, Firework and Imitation Firearm Act B.E. 2490 (1947). 5. Petty offences. -- 32 -- 2021 ANNUAL STATISTICAL REPORT (B.E. 2564)
2.3 Types of case in the Court of Appeal Cases Case Pending from Previous Years New Case Filed Case Filed in Total Case Disposed of Case Disposed of (%) Case Pending to Following Year Civil Litigations Civil Case 606 1,879 2,485 1,778 71.55 707 Consumer Case 360 1,035 1,395 1,092 78.28 303 Environmental Case 6 0 6 4 66.67 2 Local Election Case 0 0 0 0 - 0 Corruption and Misconduct Case 1 0 1 1 100.00 0 Criminal Litigations Criminal Case 589 2,215 2,804 2,270 80.96 534 Consumer Case 0 0 0 0 - 0 Environmental Case 18 28 46 41 89.13 5 Local Election Case 0 0 0 0 - 0 Corruption and Misconduct Case 198 559 757 585 77.28 172 Human Trafficking Case 33 90 123 103 83.74 20 Narcotic Case 4,637 11,361 15,998 11,913 74.47 4,085 Total 6,448 17,167 23,615 17,787 75.32 5,828 Note 1: The courts of appeal has power to try and adjudicate cases relevant to the election and revocation of the election rights in the election of local councils and local administrators, according to the Constitution B.E. 2560 (2007) Section 219 paragraph three. Note 2: Consumer and environmental cases as criminal matters in the courts of appeal are relevant criminal cases appealed to the Consumer Case Division and the Environmental Case Division in appellate courts. Note 3: The Court of Appeal has the sole authority to consider appeals regarding narcotics cases, human trafficking cases and the corruption and misconduct cases nationwide in accordance with the Narcotics Cases Procedure Act B.E. 2550 (2007), the Anti – Human Trafficking Procedure Act B.E. 2559 (2016) and the Corruption and Misconduct Case Procedure Act B.E. 2559 (2016) respectively. 2021 ANNUAL STATISTICAL REPORT (B.E. 2564) – 33 --
2.4 Types of case in the Courts of Appeal, Region I - IX Cases Case Pending from Previous Years New Case Filed Case Filed in Total Case Disposed of Case Disposed of (%) Case Pending to Following Year Civil Litigations Civil Case 642 4,477 5,119 4,687 91.56 432 Consumer Case 535 5,665 6,200 5,471 88.24 729 Environmental Case 6 21 27 26 96.30 1 Local Election Case 0 96 96 95 98.96 1 Criminal Litigations Criminal Case 1,394 13,202 14,596 13,749 94.20 847 Consumer Case 0 0 0 0 - 0 Environmental Case 70 866 936 872 93.16 64 Local Election Case 0 16 16 16 100.00 0 Total 2,647 24,343 26,990 24,916 92.32 2,074 Note 1: Appellate courts have power to try and adjudicate cases relevant to the election and revocation of the election rights in the election of local councils and local administrators, according to the Constitution B.E. 2560 (2007) Section 219 paragraph three. Note 2: Consumer and environmental cases as criminal matters in appellate courts are relevant criminal cases filed with the Consumer Case Division and the Environmental Case Division in appellate courts. -- 34 -- 2021 ANNUAL STATISTICAL REPORT (B.E. 2564)
2.5 Types of case in the Court of Appeal for Specialized Cases Cases Case Pending from Previous Years New Case Filed Case Filed in Total Case Disposed of Case Disposed of (%) Case Pending to Following Year Civil Litigations Tax Case 20 60 80 64 80.00 16 Labour Case 105 1,284 1,389 1,358 97.77 31 Intellectual Property and International Trade Case (Civil) 29 142 171 126 73.68 45 Bankruptcy Case (Civil) 35 155 190 155 81.58 35 Bankruptcy Case (Business Rehabilitation) 2 19 21 17 80.95 4 Juvenile and Family Case (Civil) 7 283 290 262 90.34 28 Criminal Litigations Intellectual Property and International Trade Case (Criminal) 14 49 63 51 80.95 12 Bankruptcy Case (Criminal) 1 0 1 1 100.00 0 Juvenile and Family Case (Criminal) 5 99 104 95 91.35 9 Total 218 2,091 2,309 2,129 92.20 180 2021 ANNUAL STATISTICAL REPORT (B.E. 2564) – 35 --
CHAPTER 3 | COURTS OF FIRST INSTANCE
Thai Courts of First Instance: • General Courts • Juveniles and Family Courts • Specialized Courts
3.1 Statistics of Cases Nationwide
Courts Case Pending from Previous Years New Case Filed Case Disposed of Case Disposed of (%) Case Pending to Following Year Civil Courts 21,768 64,504 49,716 57.63 36,556 Criminal Courts 5,339 21,491 17,173 64.01 9,657 Criminal Courts for Corruption and Misconduct Cases 594 1,556 930 43.26 1220 The Central Juvenile and Family Court 4,402 28,060 26,154 80.57 6,308 The Central Bankruptcy Court 2,540 7,745 6,091 59.22 4,194 The Central Intellectual Property and International Trade Court 818 1,950 1,801 65.07 967 The Central Tax Court 104 213 123 38.80 194 Labour Courts 5,526 14,007 9,056 46.36 10,477 Note 1: Civil Courts are the Civil Court, Bangkok South Civil Court, Thon Buri Civil Court, Taling Chan Civil Court, Phra Khanong Civil Court, Min Buri Civil Court. Note 2: Criminal Courts are the Criminal Court, Bangkok South Criminal Court, Thon Buri Criminal Court, Taling Chan Criminal Court, Phra Khanong Criminal Court, Min Buri Criminal Court. Note 3: Criminal Courts for Corruption and Misconduct Cases are the Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases and Criminal Courts for Corruption and Misconduct Cases, Region I – IX. Note 4: Labour Courts are the Central Labour Court and Labour Courts, Region I – IX. i : Courts not under the jurisdiction of offices of regional Chief Justices -- 40 -- 2021 ANNUAL STATISTICAL REPORT (B.E. 2564) The courts that are not under the jurisdiction of any offices of regional Chief Justices mostly in Bangkok metropolitan area including some courts in other provinces which are Criminal Courts for Corruption and Misconduct Cases, Region I – IX, and Labour Courts, Region I – IX. However, there are some courts in Bangkok but under the jurisdiction of the Office of the Chief Justice, Region I : Thonburi Kwaeng Court, Dusit Kwaeng Court, Pathumwan Kwaeng Court, Don Mueang Kwaeng Court and Bang Bon Kweang Court.
Regional Courts Case Pending from Previous Years New Case Filed Case Disposed of Case Disposed of (%) Case Pending to Following Year I Provincial Courts 20,159 88,926 76,536 70.16 32,549 Kwaeng Courts 25,165 122,715 103,031 69.67 44,849 Juvenile and Family Courts 550 2,971 2,620 74.41 901 Total 45,874 214,612 182,187 69.94 78,299 II Provincial Courts 13,863 73,749 62,982 71.89 24,630 Kwaeng Courts 7,259 36,661 34,825 79.29 9,095 Juvenile and Family Courts 380 2,348 2,230 81.74 498 Total 21,502 112,758 100,037 74.51 34,223 III Provincial Courts 21,629 131,107 127,027 83.17 25,709 Kwaeng Courts 3,694 41,144 38,442 85.74 6,396 Juvenile and Family Courts 513 4,692 4,458 85.65 747 Total 25,836 176,943 169,927 83.80 32,852 IV Provincial Courts 20,719 154,548 143,964 82.14 31,303 Kwaeng Courts 4,058 25,741 26,306 88.28 3,493 Juvenile and Family Courts 497 4,806 4,685 88.35 618 Total 25,274 185,095 174,955 83.17 35,414 V Provincial Courts 8,341 61,095 57,070 82.19 12,366 Kwaeng Courts 4,093 27,094 24,805 79.54 6,382 Juvenile and Family Courts 281 2,115 2,052 85.64 344 Total 12,715 90,304 83,927 81.47 19,092 VI Provincial Courts 12,627 78,311 72,350 79.56 18,588 Kwaeng Courts 3,812 19,226 16,240 70.49 6,798 Juvenile and Family Courts 302 2,201 2,082 83.18 421 Total 16,741 99,738 90,672 77.84 25,807 VII Provincial Courts 12,259 67,809 60,594 75.68 19,474 Kwaeng Courts 5,926 27,217 23,907 72.13 9,236 Juvenile and Family Courts 300 2,110 1,853 76.89 557 Total 18,485 97,136 86,354 74.69 29,267 VIII Provincial Courts 8,080 67,388 61,018 80.85 14,450 Kwaeng Courts 4,056 34,393 32,382 84.22 6,067 Juvenile and Family Courts 234 2,071 1,894 82.17 411 Total 12,370 103,852 95,294 81.99 20,928 IX Provincial Courts 7,426 58,372 54,463 82.77 11,335 Kwaeng Courts 2,525 16,482 16,700 87.86 2,307 Juvenile and Family Courts 122 1,725 1,686 91.28 161 Total 10,073 76,579 72,849 84.07 13,803 ii : Courts under the jurisdiction of offices of regional Chief Justices 2021 ANNUAL STATISTICAL REPORT (B.E. 2564) – 41 --
98,666 36,185 16,391 12,061 10,079 Civil Cases (Causes of Action) iii : Top 5 causes of action and offences in new cases 302,196 106,333 30,052 23,483 23,045 Criminal Cases (Offences) 1. Offences relating to Narcotics Act B.E. 2522 (1979). 2. Offences relating to Land Traffic Act B.E. 2522 (1979). 3. Offences relating to Firearm, Ammunition, Explosive, Firework and Imitation Firearm Act B.E. 2490 (1947). 4. Offences relating to Emergency Decree on Public Administration in Emergency Situations B.E. 2548 (2005) 5. Offences of Taking by Stealth and Snatching 1. Execution of inheritance 2. Torts 3. Subrogation 4. Loan 5. Breach of contact 158,628 136,036 102,948 64,020 49,918 Consumer Cases (Causes of Action) 1. Credit card 2. Personal loan 3. Loan 4. Hire purchase (automobile) 5. Contract of guarantee -- 42 -- 2021 ANNUAL STATISTICAL REPORT (B.E. 2564)
3.2 General Courts
i : Civil Courts (new cases) Courts Civil Cases Consumer Cases Environmental Cases Commercial Cases New Cases Filed in Total The Civil Court 8,819 4,987 2 13,808 Bangkok South Civil Court 3,431 1,879 0 245 5,552 Taling Chan Civil Court 2,684 4,991 0 7,675 Thon Buri Civil Court 3,671 2,536 0 6,207 Phra Khanong Civil Court 3,050 7,052 0 10,102 Min Buri Civil Court 4,922 16,238 0 21,160 Total 26,577 37,680 2 245 64,504 13,808 5,552 7,675 6,207 10,102 21,160 The Civil Court Bangkok South Civil Court Taling Chan Civil Court Thon Buri Civil Court Phra Khanong Civil Court Min Buri Civil Court New cases filed with the courts Note : A division for commercial case is only in Bangkok South Civil Court -- 44 -- 2021 ANNUAL STATISTICAL REPORT (B.E. 2564)
ii : Criminal Courts (new cases) Court Criminal Cases Narcotics Cases Human Trafficking Cases New Cases Filed in Total The Criminal Court 3,338 2,032 70 5,440 Bangkok South Criminal Court 2,166 2,166 Thonburi Criminal Court 2,703 2,703 Taling Chan Criminal Court 2,372 2,372 Phra Khanong Criminal Court 3,010 3,010 Min Buri Criminal Court 5,800 5,800 Total 19,389 2,032 70 21,491 5,440 2,166 2,703 2,372 3,010 5,800 The Criminal Court Bangkok South Criminal Court Thonburi Criminal Court Taling Chan Criminal Court Phra Khanong Criminal Court Min Buri Criminal Court New cases filed with the courts Note : Narcotics case division and human trafficking case division are only in the Criminal Court. 2021 ANNUAL STATISTICAL REPORT (B.E. 2564) – 45 --
iii : Criminal Courts for Corruption and Misconduct Cases (new cases) Court Criminal Cases Civil Cases New Cases Filed in Total Criminal Courts for Corruption and Misconduct Cases Central 197 0 197 Region I 152 0 152 Region II 69 0 69 Region III 196 0 196 Region IV 299 0 299 Region V 136 0 136 Region VI 236 0 236 Region VII 87 3 90 Region VII 78 1 79 Region IX 101 1 102 Total 1,551 5 1,556 197 152 69 196 299 136 236 90 79 102 Central Region I Region II Region III Region IV Region V Region VI Region VII Region VII Region IX New cases filed with the courts -- 46 -- 2021 ANNUAL STATISTICAL REPORT (B.E. 2564)
iv : Provincial Courts (new cases) Courts Civil Cases Consumer Cases Environmental Cases Criminal Cases New Cases Filed in Total Provincial Courts Region I 18,329 36,274 19 34,304 88,926 Region II 13,272 34,460 134 25,883 73,749 Region III 24,273 61,901 435 44,498 131,107 Region IV 28,913 67,790 39 57,806 154,548 Region V 11,501 21,731 31 27,832 61,095 Region VI 12,206 34,725 55 31,325 78,311 Region VII 13,037 26,435 53 28,284 67,809 Region VII 10,187 22,540 36 34,625 67,388 Region IX 8,289 18,461 4 31,618 58,372 Total 140,007 324,317 806 316,175 781,305 88,926 73,749 131,107 154,548 61,095 78,311 67,809 67,388 58,372 Region I Region II Region III Region IV Region V Region VI Region VII Region VII Region IX New cases filed with the courts 2021 ANNUAL STATISTICAL REPORT (B.E. 2564) – 47 --
v : Kweang Courts (new cases) Courts Civil Cases Consumer Cases Environmental Cases Criminal Cases New Cases Filed in Total Kwaeng Courts Region I 12,511 77,184 0 33,020 122,715 Region II 3,374 22,849 0 10,438 36,661 Region III 2,090 24,182 0 14,872 41,144 Region IV 1,916 18,370 0 5,455 25,741 Region V 2,259 18,152 15 6,668 27,094 Region VI 1,098 13,250 0 4,878 19,226 Region VII 2,051 16,583 0 8,583 27,217 Region VII 2,337 22,471 1 9,584 34,393 Region IX 1,190 10,004 0 5,288 16,482 Total 28,826 223,045 16 98,786 350,673 122,715 36,661 41,144 25,741 27,094 19,226 27,217 34,393 16,482 Region I Region II Region III Region IV Region V Region VI Region VII Region VII Region IX New cases filed with the courts -- 48 -- 2021 ANNUAL STATISTICAL REPORT (B.E. 2564)