Section 5 — Persons who may act for the injured
Texte légal (original thaï)
บุคคลเหล่านี้จัดการแทนผู้เสียหายได้
(๑) ผู้แทนโดยชอบธรรมหรือผู้อนุบาล เฉพาะแต่ในความผิดซึ่งได้กระทำต่อผู้เยาว์ หรือผู้ไร้ความสามารถซึ่งอยู่ในความดูแล
(๒) ผู้บุพการี ผู้สืบสันดาน สามีหรือภริยาเฉพาะแต่ในความผิดอาญา ซึ่งผู้เสียหายถูกทำร้ายถึงตายหรือบาดเจ็บจนไม่สามารถจะจัดการเองได้
(๓) ผู้จัดการหรือผู้แทนอื่น ๆ ของนิติบุคคล เฉพาะความผิดซึ่งกระทำลงแก่นิติบุคคลนั้น
traduction anglaise
The following persons may act on behalf of the injured person:
(1) a legal representative or a guardian, only for an offense committed against a minor or an incompetent person under his care;
(2) an ascendant, a descendant, a husband or a wife, only for a criminal offense in which the injured person has been harmed to death or injured to the point of being unable to act himself;
(3) a manager or other representative of a juristic person, only for an offense committed against that juristic person.
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 5 is the core catalogue of representative capacity that Section 3 refers to, and it is tightly conditioned. The spouse or ascendant power in Section 5(2) arises only where the victim is killed or so injured they cannot act, and it depends on the victim being an injured person by operation of law: if the deceased was contributorily negligent, no Section 5(2) authority exists and the relative cannot join the prosecution. By contrast, an ascendant of a deceased victim who was not at fault does hold Section 5(2) authority and may enter as co-plaintiff.
Pourquoi cela est important en pratique
If a family member was killed or gravely hurt, only the relatives listed in Section 5(2), an ascendant, descendant or spouse, can act, and only if the victim was not at fault. This decides who may join the public prosecutor as co-plaintiff and claim compensation, so families should confirm both the relationship and the fault question early. Where authority is contested, legal advice before the first hearing saves time.
Décisions de la Cour suprême interprétant cette section
-
Supreme Court Judgment No. 324/2568 (2025)
Where the deceased was contributorily negligent, he is not an injured person by operation of law, so a spouse gains no authority to act under Section 5(2) and cannot join the prosecution.
It was settled that the deceased was partly at fault, so he was not an injured person by operation of law under Section 2(4). The Court held his wife therefore had no authority to act under Section 5(2) and could not join the public prosecutor as co-plaintiff under Section 30, so allowing her joinder was improper.
-
Supreme Court Judgment No. 2101/2567 (2024)
An ascendant of a deceased victim holds authority to act for the injured person under Section 5(2), on the same footing as another qualifying representative, and may pursue the case.
The mother of the deceased was her ascendant, so the Court held she stood as a person with authority to act for the injured person under Section 5(2), on the same footing as the original co-plaintiff. She was accordingly permitted to enter as co-plaintiff with the public prosecutor and to continue the proceedings.
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 can act for an injured person who was killed in Thailand?
Under Section 5(2), an ascendant, descendant or spouse may act, but only where the victim was killed or so injured they could not act, and only if the victim was not contributorily at fault.
Can a company be an injured person in a criminal case?
Yes. Under Section 5(3), a juristic person's manager or representative may act on its behalf for an offense committed against the company.
Can a parent act for their injured child?
Yes. Under Section 5(1), a legal representative or guardian may act for a minor or incompetent person in their care.