Article 70 — Who serves court documents
Texte légal (original thaï)
บรรดาคำฟ้อง หมายเรียกและหมายอื่น ๆ คำสั่ง คำบังคับของศาลในกรณีต้องส่งคำบังคับ ให้เจ้าพนักงานศาลเป็นผู้ส่งให้แก่คู่ความหรือบุคคลภายนอกที่เกี่ยวข้อง แต่ว่า
(๑) หมายเรียกพยาน ให้คู่ความฝ่ายที่อ้างพยานนั้นเป็นผู้ส่งโดยตรง เว้นแต่ศาลจะสั่งเป็นอย่างอื่นหรือพยานปฏิเสธไม่ยอมรับหมาย ในกรณีเช่นว่านี้ให้เจ้าพนักงานศาลเป็นผู้ส่ง
(๒) คำสั่งของศาล รวมทั้งคำสั่งกำหนดวันนั่งพิจารณาหรือสืบพยาน แล้วแต่กรณี หรือคำสั่งให้เลื่อนคดี ถ้าคู่ความหรือบุคคลที่เกี่ยวข้องนั้นอยู่ในศาลในเวลาที่มีคำสั่งและได้ลงลายมือชื่อรับรู้ไว้ ให้ถือว่าได้ส่งโดยชอบด้วยกฎหมายแล้ว
คำฟ้องนั้น ให้โจทก์เสียค่าธรรมเนียมในการส่ง ส่วนการนำส่งนั้นโจทก์จะนำส่งหรือไม่ก็ได้ เว้นแต่ศาลจะสั่งให้โจทก์มีหน้าที่จัดการนำส่ง ส่วนหมายเรียก หมายอื่น ๆ คำสั่งของศาลที่ได้ออกตามคำขอของคู่ความฝ่ายใด ถ้าศาลมิได้สั่งให้จัดการนำส่งด้วย ก็ให้คู่ความฝ่ายนั้นเพียงแต่เสียค่าธรรมเนียมในการส่ง ในกรณีอื่น ๆ ให้เป็นหน้าที่ของศาลที่จะจัดการส่งให้แก่คู่ความหรือบุคคลที่เกี่ยวข้อง
traduction anglaise
All plaints, summonses and other writs, and orders and writs of execution of the court in a case where a writ of execution must be served, shall be served by a court officer on the parties or on the related outside persons. However:
(1) a witness summons shall be served directly by the party who has cited that witness, unless the court orders otherwise or the witness refuses to accept the summons, in which case the court officer shall serve it;
(2) an order of the court, including an order setting a date for the sitting or the taking of evidence, as the case may be, or an order postponing the case, if the party or related person is present in court when the order is made and has signed to acknowledge it, shall be deemed to have been lawfully served.
For a plaint, the plaintiff shall pay the fee for service, but whether or not the plaintiff arranges the delivery is optional, unless the court orders the plaintiff to arrange the delivery. For a summons, other writs, or a court order issued at the request of any party, if the court has not ordered that party also to arrange delivery, that party need only pay the fee for service. In other cases it is the duty of the court to arrange service on the parties or related persons.
Cette traduction anglaise est fournie à titre indicatif uniquement et n'a pas encore été vérifiée de manière définitive ; référez-vous toujours à l'original thaï.
Annotation de l'entreprise
Section 70 allocates the task of service between the court officer and the parties. The general rule is service by a court officer, subject to two exceptions in items (1) and (2): a party serves its own witness summons directly, and an order made in the presence of a party who signs an acknowledgment is treated as served. The section also separates two obligations for a plaint: the plaintiff must pay the service fee, while actually arranging delivery is optional unless the court orders it. Where the court orders a party to arrange delivery, failure to do so within the time set can amount to abandonment of the case, and paying the service fee under the final paragraph is treated as having handed the document to the officer for service.
Pourquoi cela est important en pratique
The practical trap is item that turns on the court's order to arrange delivery: if the court tells the plaintiff to deliver the summons and the plaintiff sits on it, the case can be dismissed for want of prosecution. Note that a witness summons is your job to serve unless the witness refuses. Paying the service fee is not optional for a plaint. If you are pursuing a judgment debtor, service of the writ of execution runs through the same channels, which our debt collection team handles regularly.
Décisions de la Cour suprême interprétant cette section
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 13881/2556 (2013)
Where the court orders the plaintiff to arrange delivery of the summons under Section 70 paragraph two, the plaintiff has a legal duty to proceed within the time the court sets, and ignoring the order within that time amounts to failing to prosecute the case.
The specialized court had ordered the plaintiff to deliver the summons on the three defendants. Applying Section 70 paragraph two through the governing statute, the court held this placed a duty on the plaintiff to act within the set time, and the plaintiff's failure to do so counted as neglecting to prosecute within the time fixed for that purpose.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 3966/2551 (2008)
Where the court orders that a writ of execution be served and directs the plaintiff to pay the service fee, that direction is lawful under Section 70 paragraph two, and the plaintiff cannot escape the service fee obligation.
After a writ of execution was issued, the plaintiff asked that a court officer serve it and objected to being charged the service fee. The trial court held its order correct under Section 70 paragraph two and refused to change it. On the plaintiff's direct appeal, the issue was whether ordering the plaintiff to pay the service fee for the writ was lawful.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 6197/2550 (2007)
Paying the fee for service to the court officer under Section 70, final paragraph, has the same effect as the party having delivered the copy for service, so the party is not at fault if the court officer thereafter fails to complete the actual service.
A third party claimant who had paid the service fee to the court officer under Section 70, final paragraph, was treated as having handed over the copy of the claim for service to the enforcement officer as the court had ordered. Whether the officer then actually delivered it was a separate matter that had already been settled below without challenge.
Décisions sélectionnées avec numéros de dossier vérifiés dans la base de données de la Cour suprême. Les versions anglaises sont des traductions éditoriales réalisées par le cabinet à des fins d'étude.
Foire aux questions
Who serves the summons on the defendant in Thailand?
Under Section 70 a court officer serves the plaint and summons. The plaintiff must pay the service fee, and if the court orders the plaintiff to arrange delivery, the plaintiff must do so or risk the case being dismissed.
Do I have to serve my own witness summons?
Yes. Under Section 70(1) the party who cited the witness serves the witness summons directly, unless the court orders otherwise or the witness refuses to accept it, in which case the court officer serves it.
Is an order made in court considered served?
Under Section 70(2), if the party or related person is present when the order is made and signs to acknowledge it, the order is deemed lawfully served, so no further service is needed.