Article 69 — Grounds for issuing a search warrant
Texte légal (original thaï)
เหตุที่จะออกหมายค้นได้มีดังต่อไปนี้
(๑) เพื่อพบและยึดสิ่งของซึ่งจะเป็นพยานหลักฐานประกอบการสอบสวน ไต่สวนมูลฟ้องหรือพิจารณา
(๒) เพื่อพบและยึดสิ่งของซึ่งมีไว้เป็นความผิด หรือได้มาโดยผิดกฎหมาย หรือมีเหตุอันควรสงสัยว่าได้ใช้หรือตั้งใจจะใช้ในการกระทำความผิด
(๓) เพื่อพบและช่วยบุคคลซึ่งได้ถูกหน่วงเหนี่ยวหรือกักขังโดยมิชอบด้วยกฎหมาย
(๔) เพื่อพบบุคคลซึ่งมีหมายให้จับ
(๕) เพื่อพบและยึดสิ่งของตามคำพิพากษาหรือตามคำสั่งศาล ในกรณีที่จะพบหรือจะยึดโดยวิธีอื่นไม่ได้แล้ว
traduction anglaise
The grounds on which a search warrant may be issued are as follows: (1) to find and seize property that will serve as evidence for the investigation, the preliminary hearing, or the trial; (2) to find and seize property the possession of which is an offense, or that has been unlawfully obtained, or where there is reasonable ground to suspect that it has been used or is intended to be used in committing an offense; (3) to find and rescue a person who has been unlawfully restrained or confined; (4) to find a person against whom an arrest warrant has been issued; (5) to find and seize property under a judgment or a court order, in cases where it cannot be found or seized by any other means.
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 69 opens the part of the Code on search warrants by fixing an exhaustive list of grounds for issuance. Each of the five grounds ties a search to a concrete investigative or enforcement purpose: gathering evidence, seizing contraband or the fruits and instruments of crime, freeing an unlawfully held person, locating a person already subject to an arrest warrant, and enforcing a judgment as a last resort. Because the list is exhaustive, a search must rest on at least one of these grounds; the courts treat ground (2) as requiring reasonable suspicion that unlawful items are actually concealed. The section links closely with Section 70, which bars issuing a search warrant to arrest a person unless there is also an arrest warrant.
Pourquoi cela est important en pratique
If your home or business is searched, the lawfulness of the search turns on whether it fell within one of these grounds. Where a search warrant was issued without a proper ground, evidence obtained from it may be challenged. In practice the objection must be raised in good time: courts have refused to consider a complaint that a search warrant lacked grounds when it was raised for the first time on appeal rather than at the trial court. If a search has affected you, get the warrant and seizure record reviewed early and consider a consultation with a Thai lawyer.
Décisions de la Cour suprême interprétant cette section
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 360/2542 (1999)
A search to find and seize property whose possession is an offense, such as narcotics, is authorized under Section 69(2) and does not require an arrest warrant under Section 70.
Acting on an informant's tip, officers searched to find and seize narcotics, being property whose possession is itself an offense. The Court held that the search warrant could lawfully issue under Section 69(2) without also issuing an arrest warrant under Section 70; when the search revealed the defendant in possession of heroin and methamphetamine, that was a flagrant offense allowing arrest under Section 78(1).
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 5479/2536 (1993)
A search warrant under Section 69(2) requires reasonable ground to suspect that unlawful items are concealed at the place to be searched.
Considering whether a search warrant complied with Section 69(2), the Court set out the statutory ground for finding and seizing property whose possession is an offense or that is suspected of use in crime, and held that such a warrant requires a reasonable ground to suspect that unlawful property is hidden at the place.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 7355/2542 (1999)
An objection that a search warrant was issued without a proper ground under Section 69 must be raised in the trial court; raised for the first time on appeal, it will not be considered.
The defendants argued only on appeal that officers had searched their office and seized documents without a ground to issue a search warrant under Section 69, making the warrant and the resulting evidence unlawful. The Court declined to rule on the point because it had not been properly argued in the trial court.
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
On what grounds can a court issue a search warrant in Thailand?
Section 69 allows a search warrant only to find and seize evidence, to seize illegal or unlawfully obtained property or the instruments of crime, to rescue an unlawfully held person, to find a person wanted on an arrest warrant, or to enforce a judgment when no other means will work.
Is evidence from a search without proper grounds admissible?
A search warrant issued outside the grounds in Section 69 is unlawful, and evidence obtained from it can be challenged. However, the objection should be raised at the trial court; raising it for the first time on appeal may be refused.
Do police need an arrest warrant to search for illegal drugs?
No. A search to find and seize property whose possession is itself an offense, such as narcotics, falls under Section 69(2) and does not require a separate arrest warrant under Section 70.