Section 113 — Witnesses must testify orally
Statutory text (Thai original)
พยานทุกคนต้องเบิกความด้วยวาจาและห้ามไม่ให้พยานอ่านข้อความที่เขียนมา เว้นแต่จะได้รับอนุญาตจากศาล หรือเป็นพยานผู้เชี่ยวชาญ
English translation
Every witness must give testimony orally, and a witness is prohibited from reading out a written text, except where permission is granted by the court or where the witness is an expert witness.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified — always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 113 protects the reliability of oral evidence by requiring witnesses to speak from memory rather than recite a written script. The purpose, as the courts have explained, is to let the judge and the opposing party hear the witness's own account directly and to prevent testimony being embellished or rehearsed in writing. Two exceptions are allowed: an express permission of the court, and expert witnesses, whose evidence often depends on technical records and calculations. The provision works together with Section 112 on the oath, Section 114 on excluding later witnesses, and Section 116 on how a witness's evidence is opened, and it applies to criminal cases through Section 15 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
Why this matters in practice
Prepare your witnesses to testify from memory, not to read a statement, or their evidence may be objected to. It is acceptable to refresh memory from documents already in evidence and, for figures or technical detail, to ask the court's permission to refer to notes; expert witnesses have more latitude. If the other side's witness simply reads out a script without leave, you can object on the record. Good witness preparation is part of getting ready for court in Thailand and is worth doing well in advance of the hearing.
Supreme Court decisions interpreting this section
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 5598/2560 (2017)
Section 113 requires every witness to testify orally and forbids reading from a written text, so that the court and the other party can hear the witness's own account directly, from the witness's own memory of events they experienced.
Applying Section 113 through Section 15 of the Criminal Procedure Code, the Supreme Court explained that the law wants the court and the opposing party to hear a witness's evidence directly and from the witness's own recollection, so that the account is not embellished or distorted from what the witness actually experienced.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 4177/2528 (1985)
The purpose of the reading prohibition in Section 113 is to stop the opposing party being placed at a disadvantage; where a witness merely reads out figures already contained in documents already admitted, which the court can examine for itself, no such disadvantage arises.
The Supreme Court held that the bar on reading from a written text in Section 113 exists to prevent unfair disadvantage to the other side. Where a witness referred to figures noted down that already appeared in documents the witness had certified and put in evidence, and the court could check those figures for itself, the opposing party suffered no disadvantage.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 1833/2514 (1971)
A witness has a duty under Sections 113 and 116 to give oral testimony answering the questions of the court and the parties on the issues in the case, rather than volunteering statements outside the matters put to them.
The Supreme Court observed that a witness called by the prosecution had a duty under Sections 113 and 116 to testify orally in answer to the questions of the court and the parties on the issues, and addressed statements the witness volunteered that went beyond what was asked.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Frequently asked questions
Can a witness read from a written statement in a Thai court?
No, not as a rule. Section 113 requires oral testimony and bars reading from a written text, unless the court grants permission or the witness is an expert.
Why must witnesses testify from memory?
The rule lets the court and the opposing party hear the witness's own account directly and prevents a story being rehearsed or embellished in writing, which protects the fairness of the trial.