Section 154 — Written Inquest Opinion on Cause of Death
Statutory text (Thai original)
ให้ผู้ชันสูตรพลิกศพทำความเห็นเป็นหนังสือแสดงเหตุและพฤติการณ์ที่ตาย ผู้ตายคือใคร ตายที่ไหน เมื่อใด ถ้าตายโดยคนทำร้าย ให้กล่าวว่าใครหรือสงสัยว่าใครเป็นผู้กระทำผิดเท่าที่จะทราบได้
English translation
The person conducting the inquest shall prepare a written opinion stating the cause and circumstances of the death, who the deceased is, where and when the death occurred, and, if the death was caused by an assailant, stating who, or who is suspected to be, the offender, as far as can be ascertained.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified — always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
This section defines the content of the inquest report that closes the post-mortem examination in Chapter 2. It requires a written opinion covering the cause and circumstances of death, the identity of the deceased, the place and time of death, and the suspected offender where the death was caused by another person. The report is a documentary record of the inquest findings rather than a determination of guilt, and it feeds into the investigation file and any later prosecution. It follows Sections 150 to 153, which set out who conducts the inquest and how a buried body is exhumed.
Why this matters in practice
For litigants, the key point is that the inquest report is evidence of the facts of death, not a verdict, and a defect in it does not automatically block a prosecution. Thai courts have treated the report as a record showing who died, when and how, and have allowed cases to proceed even where formalities were incomplete. If a death report matters to your case, keep in mind that its findings can be challenged and tested with other evidence at trial.
Supreme Court decisions interpreting this section
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 528/2508 (1965)
An inquest report under Section 154 is only evidence showing who the deceased is, where and when they died, who caused the death, and the cause and circumstances of death. Where the report contains all the required details truthfully, later signatures by officials who did not attend the scene do not invalidate it.
The first defendant conducted the inquest alone, while the second defendant and the district health officer did not attend but signed the report afterwards. The Court held the report is merely evidence of the facts of death under Section 154, and since it stated all the legally required details truthfully, the later signatures did not undermine it.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 48/2491 (1948)
Where the investigator and doctor have completed the inquest but the written opinion lacks the details required by Section 154, such as who the deceased is, where and when they died, and who is suspected, this does not bar the prosecution from filing charges against the accused.
The trial court had viewed an inquest certificate that omitted the place and time of death and the suspected offender as incomplete under Section 154. The Supreme Court held that this incompleteness did not prohibit filing charges against the accused.
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 a Thai inquest report contain?
Under Section 154 it must state the cause and circumstances of death, who the deceased is, where and when they died, and, if a person caused the death, who is or is suspected to be the offender, so far as known.
Does a defective inquest report stop a prosecution?
No. Thai case law treats the report as evidence of the facts of death, and an incomplete report does not by itself bar the prosecution from filing charges.