Section 237 — Reading and Reuse of Witness Testimony
Statutory text (Thai original)
บันทึกคำเบิกความพยานชั้นไต่สวนมูลฟ้องหรือพิจารณานั้น ให้ศาลอ่านให้พยานฟังต่อหน้าจำเลย เว้นแต่ในกรณีดังบัญญัติไว้ในมาตรา ๑๖๕ วรรคสามในกรณีที่คู่ความตกลงกัน ศาลอาจอนุญาตให้ถือเอาบันทึกคำเบิกความพยานในชั้นไต่สวนมูลฟ้องเป็นคำเบิกความพยานในชั้นพิจารณา โดยพยานไม่ต้องเบิกความใหม่หรือให้พยานเบิกความตอบคำถามค้านของจำเลยไปทันทีได้ เว้นแต่ในข้อหาความผิดที่กฎหมายกำหนดอัตราโทษอย่างต่ำจำคุกตั้งแต่ห้าปีขึ้นไปหรือโทษสถานที่หนักกว่านั้น
English translation
The record of a witness's testimony at the preliminary hearing or at the trial shall be read by the court to the witness in the presence of the defendant, except in the cases provided in Section 165 paragraph three. Where the parties agree, the court may allow the record of a witness's testimony taken at the preliminary hearing to stand as that witness's testimony at trial, without the witness having to give evidence anew, or it may allow the witness to answer the defendant's cross-examination at once, except in a charge for which the law prescribes a minimum penalty of imprisonment of five years or more, or a heavier penalty.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified — always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 237 governs both the recording and the reuse of oral testimony under Book 5, Chapter 2. Paragraph one requires the court to read each witness's recorded statement back in the presence of the defendant, ensuring accuracy and the defendant's ability to observe, subject to the exception in Section 165 paragraph three. Paragraph two allows a procedural shortcut: with the parties' agreement, testimony from the preliminary hearing (the ไต่สวนมูลฟ้อง) can be adopted as trial testimony, avoiding duplication, but this is barred in serious charges carrying a minimum of five years' imprisonment, where live testimony is required. The provision interacts closely with the preliminary-hearing rules and with the defendant's right to cross-examine.
Why this matters in practice
In a private prosecution or any case that has passed a preliminary hearing, agreeing to reuse that earlier testimony can save time and cost, but it also gives up the chance to hear the witness live at trial. That trade-off should be weighed carefully, and it is simply not available where the charge carries a five-year minimum sentence. Because the agreement affects your right to test the evidence, get advice before consenting. 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. 4173/2562 (2019)
Section 237 paragraph two permits a witness's preliminary-hearing testimony to be adopted as trial testimony only where the parties agree; the version of the section in force when the trial court took evidence governs whether that adoption was lawful.
The defendants argued the appellate court wrongly relied on the plaintiffs' preliminary-hearing evidence contrary to Section 237 paragraph two. The Supreme Court examined the text of paragraph two as in force when the trial court took evidence, which allows adoption of preliminary-hearing testimony as trial testimony where the parties agree, to decide whether the reliance was proper.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 2113/2557 (2014)
Under Section 237 paragraph two, a witness's preliminary-hearing testimony can be treated as trial testimony only if the parties agree before that witness is brought to give evidence at trial; the provision implies a prior agreement between the parties.
The issue was whether a witness's preliminary-hearing testimony could be used as trial testimony. The Supreme Court read Section 237 paragraph two to mean that, before a party brings a witness who testified at the preliminary hearing to testify at trial, the parties must have agreed that the earlier testimony may stand in place of new testimony.
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 preliminary-hearing testimony be used at trial in Thailand?
Yes, if the parties agree. Under Section 237 paragraph two, the court may allow testimony given at the preliminary hearing to stand as trial testimony, except in charges carrying a minimum of five years' imprisonment.
Must the court read a witness's statement back to him?
Yes. Section 237 paragraph one requires the court to read the recorded testimony back to the witness in the presence of the defendant, except in the case in Section 165 paragraph three.