Section 125 — Duty to arrange a proper complaint
Statutory text (Thai original)
เมื่อพนักงานสอบสวน หรือพนักงานฝ่ายปกครองหรือตำรวจ ได้กระทำการสืบสวนหรือสอบสวนไปทั้งหมดหรือแต่ส่วนหนึ่งส่วนใดตามคำขอร้องให้ช่วยเหลือ ให้ตกเป็นหน้าที่ของพนักงานนั้นจัดการให้มีคำร้องทุกข์ตามระเบียบ ตามบทบัญญัติแห่งมาตรา ๑๒๓ และ ๑๒๔
English translation
When an investigating officer, or an administrative or police officer, has carried out an investigation or inquiry, in whole or in part, pursuant to a request for assistance, it shall become the duty of that officer to arrange for a complaint to be lodged in accordance with the regulations, as provided in Sections 123 and 124.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified — always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
This General Principles provision closes a gap left by Section 122: where an officer chooses to act on a request for help rather than decline, he must then regularise matters by arranging a proper complaint under Sections 123 and 124. The aim is to ensure the paperwork catches up with the investigation, particularly important for compoundable offences where a valid complaint is a precondition to prosecution. Importantly, however, the courts have held that for non-compoundable offences a failure to arrange a complaint under Sections 123 to 125 does not void an otherwise lawful investigation.
Why this matters in practice
For victims, this section is a safeguard: once police act on your request, they should ensure a proper complaint is on file, which matters most in compoundable cases where a missing complaint can end the prosecution. For defendants, though, remember the courts distinguish between offence types, in a state offence, the absence of a formal complaint does not by itself void a valid investigation. If the validity of the investigation is in issue, it is worth reviewing the file with a lawyer; our guide on how to choose a Thai lawyer can help.
Supreme Court decisions interpreting this section
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 2176/2534 (1991)
For an offence that is not compoundable, the investigator has power to investigate even without a complaint; if he then fails to arrange a proper complaint under Sections 123, 124 and 125, no law voids the lawful investigation, and the prosecutor retains power to file.
The Supreme Court held that in a non-compoundable case the investigation was lawful even without a complaint. The subsequent failure to arrange a proper complaint under Sections 123, 124 and 125 did not void the lawful investigation, so the public prosecutor had power to file.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 13537/2553 (2010)
A police officer who investigates a criminal case and, on learning the details, finds a person to be a suspect has power to make an accusation under Sections 2(8), 17, 18, 125 and 127, and once appointed to the responsible inquiry team has full power to investigate and gather evidence.
In an oil-smuggling and money-laundering matter, the Supreme Court held that the police officer had power to make an accusation under Sections 2(8), 17, 18, 125 and 127 after his inquiries showed the plaintiff was a suspect, and that once appointed to the responsible inquiry team he had power to investigate and gather all available evidence under Sections 121, 130 and 131.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Frequently asked questions
What must an officer do after acting on a request for help?
Under Section 125, once the officer has investigated in whole or in part pursuant to a request for assistance, he has a duty to arrange for a proper complaint under Sections 123 and 124.
Does missing a complaint void the investigation?
For a non-compoundable (state) offence, no. The courts have held that failure to arrange a complaint under Sections 123 to 125 does not void an otherwise lawful investigation.