Section 103 — Recording the search and inventory
Statutory text (Thai original)
ให้เจ้าพนักงานผู้ค้นบันทึกรายละเอียดแห่งการค้น และสิ่งของที่ค้นได้นั้นต้องมีบัญชีรายละเอียดไว้บันทึกการค้นและบัญชีสิ่งของนั้นให้อ่านให้ผู้ครอบครองสถานที่ บุคคลในครอบครัว ผู้ต้องหา จำเลย ผู้แทนหรือพยานฟัง แล้วแต่กรณี แล้วให้ผู้นั้นลงลายมือชื่อรับรองไว้
English translation
The officer conducting the search shall record the particulars of the search, and the property found in the search must be listed in an inventory. The record of the search and the inventory of property shall be read to the occupier of the place, the member of the family, the suspect, the accused, the representative, or the witness, as the case may be, who shall then sign to certify it.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified — always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 103 completes the documentary safeguards of Chapter 2 (Search) by requiring a written record of the search and an inventory of what was found, read aloud and certified by signature. Together with Sections 101 and 102 it builds a verifiable account of the search and seizure. Courts have distinguished a search record under this section from an arrest record, and have held that the absence of certain supplementary materials, such as photographs or a sketch map, does not by itself make the seizure unlawful, since gathering evidence is governed by the investigating officer's duties in Sections 131 and 132.
Why this matters in practice
The search record and inventory are key documents to obtain and review, because they fix what officers say was found and where. Before signing to certify a record, you are entitled to have it read to you; if the account is inaccurate, say so, and note that a refusal or objection can be recorded. Gaps in the record can be tested at trial, though not every missing supplementary document invalidates the seizure. See what to know before you go to court in Thailand.
Supreme Court decisions interpreting this section
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 6601/2554 (2011)
The absence of photographs, a sketch map, or a search record does not by itself make a seizure unlawful under Section 103, because gathering evidence is the investigating officer's duty under Sections 131 and 132.
The accused argued that the failure to photograph the seized methamphetamine, to make a map of where it was found, and to make a search record breached Section 103. The court noted that Section 131 makes the investigating officer responsible for gathering all possible evidence, and Section 132 empowers, but does not compel in every case, the making of photographs, maps, and drawings, so the omissions did not render the seizure unlawful.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 2892/2536 (1993)
An arrest record is distinct from a search record; because it is an arrest record, it need not itemise the seized property in detail, and recording the items or making an inventory is sufficient, without breaching Section 103.
Because the suspects were arrested at different places at about the same time, making the record at the police station was appropriate, and as it was an arrest record rather than a search record, it did not have to detail the seized property; recording the items or making an inventory sufficed. The investigating officer had also shown the accused photographs of the seized property. The court held there was no breach of Section 103.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Frequently asked questions
Do police have to make a written record of the search?
Yes. Section 103 requires the officer to record the particulars of the search and list the property found, then read it to the person concerned, who signs to certify it.
Is a search invalid if police did not take photos or a sketch map?
Not necessarily. Courts have held that the absence of supplementary materials like photographs or a map does not by itself make the seizure unlawful, since gathering evidence falls under the investigator's duties in Sections 131 and 132.
Should I sign the search record?
You are entitled to have the record and inventory read to you first. If it is inaccurate, you can object and have your objection recorded rather than certifying something incorrect.