Section 11 — Reading and signing statements
Statutory text (Thai original)
บันทึกหรือถ้อยคำสำนวนนั้นให้เจ้าพนักงานหรือศาลอ่านให้ผู้ให้ถ้อยคำฟัง ถ้ามีข้อความแก้ไข ทักท้วง หรือเพิ่มเติม ให้แก้ให้ถูกต้องหรือมิฉะนั้นก็ให้บันทึกไว้และให้ผู้ให้ถ้อยคำลงลายมือชื่อรับรองว่าถูกต้องแล้วถ้าบุคคลที่ต้องลงลายมือชื่อในบันทึกหรือถ้อยคำสำนวนไม่สามารถหรือไม่ยอมลง ให้บันทึกหรือรายงานเหตุนั้นไว้
English translation
The memorandum or the court record of proceedings shall be read by the official or the Court to the person who gave the statement. If there is any correction, objection or addition, it shall be corrected accordingly, or otherwise recorded, and the person who gave the statement shall sign to certify that it is correct. If a person who is required to sign the memorandum or the record of proceedings cannot or will not sign, the reason for this shall be recorded or reported.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified — always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 11 protects the accuracy of statements by requiring a read-back, an opportunity to correct or object, and certification by signature. Importantly, it treats a refusal or inability to sign not as an offense but as something simply to be recorded; the Supreme Court long ago confirmed that failing to sign a statement is not a crime, the old Witness Act penalty having been repealed by this Section. It works with Sections 9 and 10 to secure the reliability of written records.
Why this matters in practice
When you give a statement to police or the court, insist that it be read back and that any error be corrected before you sign, because your signature certifies it is accurate. You are not obliged to sign, and refusing is not a crime; the officer must simply record the reason. Still, an unsigned or corrected statement can affect how the record is weighed, so make sure it reflects exactly what you said.
Supreme Court decisions interpreting this section
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 51/2485 (1942)
A person's refusal to sign a statement is not a criminal offense; Section 11 requires only that the reason be recorded, and it repealed the former Witness Act provision that had penalized such refusal.
The Court held that a witness's refusal to sign a deposition is not an offense because no law makes it punishable. It noted that Section 51 of the former Witness Act, which had penalized such conduct, was repealed by Section 11 of the Criminal Procedure Code, consistent with Section 11's approach of merely recording the reason for a refusal.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Frequently asked questions
Must my statement be read back before I sign it?
Yes. Under Section 11, the memorandum or record must be read to you, any correction or objection made or noted, and then you sign to certify it is correct.
Is refusing to sign a police statement a crime in Thailand?
No. Section 11 treats a refusal or inability to sign as something merely to be recorded, and the Supreme Court has confirmed that not signing a statement is not an offense.