Article 169: Summons or Arrest Warrant to Secure Defendant
Statutory text (Thai original)
เมื่อศาลประทับฟ้องแล้ว แต่ยังไม่ได้ตัวจำเลยมา ให้ศาลออกหมายเรียกหรือหมายจับมาแล้วแต่ควรอย่างใดเพื่อพิจารณาต่อไป
English translation
When the court has accepted the charge but the defendant has not yet been brought before it, the court shall issue a summons or an arrest warrant, whichever is appropriate, in order to proceed with the trial.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified. Always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
This provision, in the Title on filing criminal charges and the preliminary hearing, addresses the practical problem of an absent defendant after the court has accepted the charge under Section 167. It gives the court discretion to choose between a summons, which simply directs the defendant to appear, and an arrest warrant, which compels attendance, according to what is appropriate in the circumstances. Courts have read it as a discretionary power to be exercised as suited to the case, and in privately prosecuted matters the order to summon the defendant is coupled with the prosecutor's duty to arrange service. It ensures that acceptance of the charge translates into securing the defendant for the trial that follows.
Why this matters in practice
Whether the court chooses a summons or an arrest warrant matters greatly to a defendant: a summons expects voluntary appearance, while a warrant authorizes arrest. In privately prosecuted cases, the private prosecutor is typically ordered to arrange service of the summons within a set time, and failure to move the case forward can have consequences for the prosecutor. A defendant who learns a charge has been accepted should appear or respond promptly rather than risk a warrant, and can prepare by reviewing what to know before you go to court in Thailand.
Décisions de la Cour suprême interprétant cette section
-
Arrêt de la Cour suprême n° 612/2526 (1983)
Section 169 confers on the court a discretion to decide, as appropriate, whether a case calls for a summons or an arrest warrant.
The Supreme Court explained that Section 169 leaves it to the court's discretion whether to issue a summons or an arrest warrant. On the facts, where the person was also a defendant in another criminal case in which an arrest warrant had already issued, the judge's exercise of discretion to issue an arrest warrant was proper.
-
Arrêt de la Cour suprême n° 1262/2526 (1983)
Where the court, having found a prima facie case and accepted the charge, orders a summons issued to the defendant under Section 169 and directs the private prosecutor to serve it, the prosecutor bears the duty to carry the case forward within the time the court sets.
After finding a prima facie case, the trial court accepted the charge, ordered a summons to the defendant, and directed the private prosecutor to serve it within seven days. The Supreme Court held the summons order followed Section 169 and the relief sought in the complaint, and that ordering the prosecutor to serve it obliged the prosecutor to move the case forward within the set time.
-
Arrêt de la Cour suprême n° 13881/2556 (2013)
An order that a summons be issued to the defendants and served by the private prosecutor accords with Section 169 as applied through the specialized court's procedure statute, and also gives effect to the relief the prosecutor sought.
In a case in the Central Intellectual Property and International Trade Court, the court ordered summonses issued to three defendants and directed the private prosecutor to serve them. The Supreme Court held this complied with the IP and International Trade Court procedure statute applied together with Section 169, and also carried out the relief requested in the complaint.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Cited in 4 Supreme Court decisions (1947 to 2013)
Décisions de citation sélectionnées
- Decision 1262/2526 (1983)
- Decision 612/2526 (1983)
- Decision 13881/2556 (2013)
- Decision 410/2490 (1947)
Cette liste est sélectionnée automatiquement, en privilégiant les jugements qui reposent sur cet article plutôt que sur ceux qui se contentent de le citer lors du prononcé de la peine. Elle n'a pas encore été examinée par le cabinet.
Calculé sur l'ensemble du corpus de 83 652 décisions de la Cour suprême du cabinet, de 1921 à 2026. Le décompte est exhaustif ; la plage d'années indiquée élimine les valeurs aberrantes rares afin de refléter la répartition réelle des citations. Ces chiffres sont calculés par nos soins et ne constituent pas des statistiques officielles de la Cour. Comment nous les comptons et ce que nous avons mesuré
Foire aux questions
Que fait le tribunal si le prévenu ne comparaît pas encore devant lui après avoir accepté l'accusation ?
En vertu de l'article 169, le tribunal délivre soit une citation à comparaître, soit un mandat d'arrêt, selon ce qui est approprié, afin de pouvoir procéder au procès.
Le tribunal doit-il délivrer un mandat d'arrêt ?
Non. L'article 169 donne au tribunal le pouvoir discrétionnaire de choisir entre une citation à comparaître et un mandat d'arrêt en fonction de ce qui est approprié dans l'affaire ; il n'est pas tenu d'arrêter dans toutes les situations.
Guides connexes sur ThaiLawOnline
Citer cette section
-
Citation simple
Criminal Procedure Code, s. 169 (Thailand) -
Citation académique
Criminal Procedure Code (Thailand), s. 169. ThaiLawOnline, https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-criminal-procedure-code/section-169/ (accessed 1 septembre 2026). -
Citation thaïlandaise
ป.วิ.อ. มาตรา 169 -
Lien permanent
https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-criminal-procedure-code/section-169/ -
Intégrer sur votre site
<blockquote cite="https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-criminal-procedure-code/section-169/"><p>Lorsque le tribunal a accepté l'accusation mais que le défendeur n'a pas encore été amené devant lui, le tribunal délivre une citation à comparaître ou un mandat d'arrêt, selon le cas, afin de procéder au procès.</p><footer>Criminal Procedure Code, s. 169 (Thailand): <a href="https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-criminal-procedure-code/section-169/">ThaiLawOnline</a></footer></blockquote>
The Thai text is authoritative. The English is an unofficial translation by ThaiLawOnline, free to reuse with attribution.