Thai Legal Studies

Xiyuan Jilu and the Three Seals Code

Junlang Zeng — 2026-07-31

This article presents a comparative study of the forensic examination and evidentiary provisions in Xiyuan Jilu (1247), a seminal work on forensic medicine from China’s Song Dynasty, and the Three Seals Code (1805), the foundational legal compilation of Thailand’s early Bangkok period. Though differing fundamentally in textual nature—the former being a specialized treatise on autopsy techniques, the latter a comprehensive legal archive—both texts offer valuable insights into how pre-modern Asian legal civilizations approached the problem of judicial evidence. Rather than claiming equivalence, this study uses their differences as analytical leverage to illuminate divergent institutional paths. Through textual analysis, the study reveals both commonalities and divergences. Both texts exhibit systematic approaches to judicial evidence and emphasize the importance of physical injuries in legal determination. However, they differ significantly in normative form, technical approach, and judicial philosophy. Xiyuan Jilu adopts a knowledge-based structure centered on morphological analysis to pursue objective truth, reflecting the Song Dynasty’s forensic empiricism. The Three Seals Code, by contrast, embeds evidentiary rules within a comprehensive legal framework, utilizing quantified compensation standards and emphasizing procedural justice grounded in Buddhist ethical principles. These differences illuminate the distinct paths through which East Asian and Southeast Asian legal civilizations developed their approaches to judicial evidence. The comparative analysis contributes to global legal history by demonstrating how divergent institutional, philosophical, and cultural contexts shaped the pursuit of judicial truth across pre-modern Asia.

Nationalistic History in Thai Constitutional Court Rulings

Angelo Sathayu Sathorn — 2026-07-31

Ever since youth-led protests erupted in 2020, Thailand has seen an unprecedented rise in the number of political prisoners. Many individuals who exercised their right to freedom of expression to openly criticize the Thai monarchy have found themselves indicted and detained under Article 112 of the Thai Criminal Code. This paper aims to challenge the nationalistic historical approach evident in Thai Constitutional Court rulings related to Article 112 by applying non-traditional narratives of Thai history. The argument is that the Court cannot claim that limitations on criticism of the monarchy and Article 112 are part of the “Spirit of the Thai National Community” because the Court failed to consider alternative viewpoints on Thai history besides “Royal Nationalism.” Additionally, the Court neglected the legal history of the lèse- majesté offense and how it demonstrates that the offence was a creation induced by the Thai ruling class without any popular consensus.

Thailand's New Sexual Harassment Law

Sanhawan Srisod — 2026-07-31

In late 2025, Thailand introduced its first criminal provisions specifically addressing sexual harassment, through amendments to the Criminal Code, which entered into force on 30 December 2025. Prior to this reform, sexual harassment was addressed only indirectly—through workplace-specific provisions under the Civil Service Act and Labour Protection Act, or through broadly framed offences such as "indecent assault" and Section 397 of the Criminal Code—leaving significant gaps, including for technology-facilitated forms of harassment. The new law defines "sexual harassment", which explicitly covers conduct carried out through computer systems and electronic devices, and empowers courts to order the removal of sexually harassing "obscene" content online—supported by the Court of Justice's new CIOS online platform, launched in January 2026. While these reforms mark significant progress, this Commentary argues that important challenges remain, including concerns about consistency with international human rights law and standards, the risk of both over- and under-criminalization due to vague language, and practical limitations in enforcement against offshore online platforms and for individuals without digital access. The Commentary concludes that clear, rights-compliant guidelines are urgently needed to ensure consistent interpretation and meaningful access to justice for victims and survivors.

Review of Thamsook Numnonda, The Anglo-Siamese Negotiations, 1900–1909

Papawadee Tanodomdej — 2026-07-31

Review of Thamsook Numnonda, The Anglo-Siamese Negotiations, 1900–1909, International Studies Center, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2025), 336 pp., ISBN 978-616-341-177-8.

Review of Voraphol Malsukhum, Thai Administrative Law: Essential Elements

Lasse Schuldt — 2026-07-31

Review of Voraphol Malsukhum, Thai Administrative Law: Essential Elements, LexisNexis (2026), 374 pp., ISBN: 978-981-5225-70-9.