CHAPTER III. RIGHTS AND LIBERTIES OF THE THAI PEOPLE
Part 1. General Provisions
Section 26
In exercising of all State authorities, regard shall be had a human dignity, rights, and liberties as provided in this Constitution.
Section 27
The rights and liberties, recognized by this Constitution expressly, by implication or by decisions of the Constitutional Court, shall be protected and directly binding on the National Assembly, the Council of Ministers, the Courts, and other State organs in enacting, applying and interpreting laws.
Section 28
A person shall be able to invoke or exercise his or her human dignity, rights, or liberties in so far as it is not in violation of this Constitution or good morals of the people.
A person whose rights or liberties recognized by this Constitution are violated can invoke the provisions of this Constitution to bring a lawsuit or to defend themselves in court.
A person shall be able to directly exercise his or her to bring a lawsuit to cause the State to comply with the provisions of this paragraph. However, where there already exists a law with details of the exercise of such rights and liberties enshrined in this Constitution, the exercise of the rights and liberties shall be in accordance with the provisions of the said law.
A person shall have the right to receive support, encouragement, and assistance from the State in the exercise of the rights in this paragraph.
Section 29
It is prohibited to restrict a person’s rights and liberties enshrined in this Constitution except by virtue of law, which must not materially affect the important substance of such rights and liberties.
The law under paragraph one shall be of general application and shall not be intended to apply to any particular case or person; provided that the provision of the Constitution authorizing its enactment shall also be mentioned therein.
The provisions in paragraph one and paragraph two shall apply mutatis mutandis to rule of the provisions of the law.
Part 2. Equality Before the Law
Section 30
All persons shall be equal before the law and shall enjoy equal protection under it.
Males and Females shall enjoy equal rights.
Unjust discrimination against a person on grounds of difference in origin, race, language, sex, age, physical conditions or health, economic or social status, religious belief, education or constitutionally political view, which does not contravene the provisions of this Constitution, shall not be permitted.
Measures determined by the State in order to eliminate obstacles to or to promote person’ abilities as other persons shall not be deemed as unjust discrimination under paragraph three.
Section 31
Military personnel, police, government servants, other State officials, and employees of State agencies shall enjoy the same constitutional rights and liberties as the rest of the population, except for restrictions in ordinances, rules, or regulations issued by virtue of law, particularly in parts relating to politics, efficiency, and discipline or code of conduct.
Part 3. Personal Rights and Liberties
Section 32
A person shall enjoy the right and liberty in his or her life and person.
A Torture or brutal act or punishment by a cruel or inhumane means shall not be permitted; however, corporal punishment as provided by law shall not be regarded as punishment using cruel and inhumane means under this particular paragraph.
Arrest and custody of person are prohibited, except directed by court order or another virtue of the law.
Search of Person or act affecting the rights and liberties under paragraph one shall not be made, except virtue of the law.
In case of act affecting the rights and liberties under paragraph one, injured person, public prosecutor or other persons shall have the right to demand a halt or withdrawal of such action, and, within reasonable limits, choice of procedure or remedy for the damage that may have occurred.
Section 33
A person shall enjoy the liberty of dwelling.
A person is protected for his or her peaceful habitation in and for possession of his or her dwelling place.
The entry into a dwelling without consent of its possessor or the search thereof is prohibited, except by court order or virtue of the law.
Section 34
A person shall enjoy liberty of travelling and the liberty of making the choice of his or her residence within the Kingdom.
The restriction of such liberties under paragraph one is prohibited except by virtue of law, specifically for maintaining the security of the State, public peace and order or public welfare, town and country planning, or welfare of the youth.
Deporting of the Thai nationality or denied person of the Thai nationality entering into the Kingdom cannot be done.
Section 35
The rights of a family member, honors, and reputation, and private life shall be protected.
To spread or publicize news or images by any means to the general public, which violates or infringes a person’s rights or those of his or her family, or private life, is prohibited, except in public interest.
A Person has a right to be protected by misfeasance of his or her private information, as well as by virtue of the law.
Section 36
A person shall enjoy the liberty to communicate with one another by lawful means.
It is prohibited to check, detain, or disclose communication between or among persons, including such other acts as to gain advance knowledge of the contents of the communication, except by virtue of law, specifically to protect national security or to maintain peace and order, or good morals of the people.
Section 37
A person shall enjoy full liberty to profess religion, religious sect or creed, and observe religious precept or exercise a form of worship in accordance with his or her belief; provided that it is not contrary to his or her civic duties, public order or good morals.
In exercising the liberty referred to in paragraph one, a person is protected from any act of the State, which is derogatory to his or her rights or detrimental to his or benefits on the grounds of professing a religion, a religious sect or creed or observing religious precepts or exercising a form of worship in accordance with his or her different belief from that of other.
Section 38
Forced labour shall not be imposed except by virtue of the law specifically enacted for the purpose of averting imminent public calamity or by virtue of the law which provides for its imposition during the time when the country is in a state of war or armed conflict, or when a state of emergency or martial law is declared.
Part 4. Rights to Access the Judicial Process
Section 39
A person shall not be punished except for having committed an act or acts which the law at the time of commission forbade and for which the law prescribed punishment. The punishment shall not exceed what was allowed by the law in force at the time of commission of such act.
In a criminal case, it shall be presumed that the accused is not guilty.
Before a final verdict of guilt is handed down, it is prohibited to treat the accused as if he or she is guilty.
Section 40
A person shall have the rights to the process of justice as follows:
- Right of access to the process of justice that is easy, expedient, quick, available to all;
- Basic right to the procedure process, which at least guarantees the basic right to an open trial, right to be informed of the facts, and to verify the documents adequately, right to present facts, refute, and produce witness and evidence, right to protest or refuse a judge or judges or examiners, right to be considered by judges or examiners in full quorum, and right to be explained about judgment or order;
- A person shall have a right to a fair and correct trial, quickly and be justice;
- The injured party, the accused, plaintiff, defendant, partner, interested party, or witness in the case shall enjoy the right to suitable treatment during the process of justice, including the right for quick investigation and the right against self-incrimination;
- The injured party, the accused, and the witness shall enjoy the right to receive protection, assistance, remuneration from the State; compensation, and other necessary expenses by the virtue of the law;
- Children, youth, females, the handicapped and permanently infirm shall be suitably protected during criminal procedure in case of sexual violent.
- In a criminal case, the accused or defendant has the right for correct, quick investigation and justice; has enough opportunity to contend the case, check or to be correct informed of the facts, to have consultation by his or her advocate and temporary release.
- In a civil case, a person has the right to receive a proper assistance from the State.
Part 5. Rights in Property
Section 41
The property right of a person is protected. The extent and the restriction of such right shall be in accordance with the provisions of the law.
The succession is protected. The right of succession of a person shall be in accordance with the provisions of the law.
Section 42
The expropriation of immovable property shall not be made except by virtue of the law specifically enacted for the State affairs on public utilities, necessary national defense, exploitation of national resources, town and country planning, promotion and preservation of the quality of the environment, agricultural or industrial development, land reform, preservation of ancient site or historic source, or other public interests, and fair compensation shall be paid in due time to the owner thereof, as well as to all persons having the rights thereto, who suffer loss by such expropriation, as provided by law.
The amount of compensation under paragraph one shall be fairly assessed with due regard to the normal purchase price, mode of acquisition, nature and situation of the immovable property, loss of the person whose property or right thereto is expropriated, and the benefits the State and the person whose property is expropriated shall receive back from making use of that expropriated immovable property.
The law on expropriation of immovable property shall specify the purpose of the expropriation and shall clearly determine the period of time to fulfill that purpose. If the immovable property is not used to fulfill such purpose within such period of time, it shall be returned to the original owner or his or her heir.
The return of immovable property to the original owner or his or her heir under paragraph three and the claim of compensation paid shall be in accordance with the provisions of the law.
Part 6. Rights and Liberties of Occupation
Section 43
A person shall enjoy the liberties to engage in an enterprise or an occupation and to undertake a fair and free competition.
The restriction on such liberties under paragraph one shall not be imposed except by virtue of the law specifically enacted for maintaining the security and safety of the State or economy of the country, protecting the public in regard to public utilities, maintaining public order and good morals, regulating the engagement in an occupation, consumer protection, town and country planning, preserving natural resources or the environment, public welfare, or preventing monopoly or eliminating unfair competition.
Section 44
A person shall have rights to the guarantee of personal safety and security at work, including the guarantee of due living during and post employment, as provided by law.
Part 7. Liberty of Expression of Individuals and Mass Media
Section 45
A person shall be free the liberties to express his or her opinion, make speeches, write, print, publicize, and make expression by other means.
The restriction on liberty under paragraph one shall not be prohibited except by virtue of law, specifically enacted for the purpose of maintaining the security of the State, safeguarding the rights, liberties, dignity reputation, family or privacy rights of the person, maintaining public or good morals or preventing the deterioration of the mind or health of the public.
The closure of a pressing house or other mass media to deprivation of the liberty under this section is prohibited.
It is prohibited to ban a newspaper or other mass media from presenting news and information or expressing opinion in whole or in part, or to interfere by any means with the liberty of expression to restrict the liberty of the press under this Section except by virtue of law, expressly enacted under paragraph two.
The censorship of news or articles by a officials of news or articles before their publication in a newspaper, printed matter, or radio and television board casting shall not be made except during the time when the country is in a state of war or armed conflict; provided this act can only be done by virtue of the law enacted under the provisions of paragraph two.
The owner of any newspaper or other mass media shall be a Thai national.
No grant of money or other properties shall be made by the State as subsidizes the activities of any private newspaper or other mass media.
Section 46
Officials or employees in a private newspaper, radio, television board casting, or other mass media shall enjoy their liberties to present news and express their opinions under the constitutional restrictions without the mandate of any State agency, State enterprise or the owner of such business; provided that is not contrary to their professional ethics and have a right to organize institutions to protect their rights, liberties and justice, as well as to have a mechanism to control each other professional ethics.
Civil servants, staff or employees of State agencies or State enterprises engaging in radio broadcast, telecast, or other mass media shall enjoy the same rights as their counterparts in the private sector under paragraph one.
Any act, direct or indirect, by holders of political office, State officials, or owners of the enterprise to obstruct or intervene in presentation of news or expression of opinion on public issues by a person under paragraph one and paragraph two, shall be regarded as intentional abuse of powers and duties and shall have no legal effect except to ensure compliance with the professional ethics.
Section 47
Transmission frequencies for radio and television, and telecommunication are national communication resources for public interest.
There shall be one independent State agency whose responsibility is to allocate the frequencies under paragraph one and supervise radio and television broadcasting and telecommunication businesses as providing by law.
In carrying out the act under paragraph two, regard shall be had to utmost public benefit at national and local levels in terms of education, culture, State security, other public interests, promotion of free and fair competition, and public participation in the operations.
In directing and operating the business under paragraph two, there shall be measures to prevent merger or market dominance among themselves, which might result in obstruction of liberties of information or liberty to receive information from diverse sources.
Section 48
A holder of political office shall not be the owner or have the stakes in the newspaper, radio, television, and telecommunication businesses, no matter in his own name, or assign any other to act as owner or hold the stakes; or exercising by other means, direct or otherwise, which shall allow the administration of such business as if he owns or holds the stakes of such business.
Part 8. Rights and Liberties in Education
Section 49
A person shall enjoy an equal right to receive the education for the duration of not less than twelve years which shall be provided by the State thoroughly, up to the quality, and without charge.
The deprived, the disabled or the permanently infirm, or those in difficult situations shall receive such rights as prescribed in paragraph one and the State support to ensure the education on equal footing as others.
Education and training management by the professional organization or private section, alternative education, self-education, and life-long learning shall be protected and promoted by the State.
Section 50
A person shall enjoy an academic freedom.
Education, training, learning, teaching, researching and disseminating such research according to academic principles shall be protected; provided that it is not contrary to his or her civic duties or good morals of the people.
Part 9. Rights to Receive Public Health Service and State Welfare
Section 51
A person shall enjoy an equal right to receive appropriate and standard public health service, and the indigent shall have the right to receive free medical treatment from public health centers of the State.
A person shall have the rights to receive public health services provided by the State universally and efficiently.
A person shall have the rights to be prevented and eradicated from harmful contagious diseases by the State appropriately, without charge, and in timely manner.
Section 52
Children and youth shall have the rights of survival and to receive physical, mental, and intellectual development according to their potential in a suitable environment with vital regard to children and youth’s participation
Children, youth, women, and family members shall have the rights to be protected by the State against violence and unfair treatment, and have the rights to be cured and rehabilitated when such incident happens.
Intervention and restriction of the rights of children, youth, and family members shall not be permitted, except by virtue of law, specifically to conserve and maintain the status of family or for the greatest benefits of those individuals.
Children and youth with no guardian shall have the rights to receive appropriate care and education from the State.
Section 53
A person who is over sixty years of age and has insufficient income shall have the rights to receive welfare, dignified public facilitation, and appropriate aids from the State.
Section 54
The disabled or handicapped shall have the rights to access and make use of welfare, public facilitation, and appropriate aids from the State.
A mentally-ill person shall have the rights to receive appropriate aids from the State.
Section 55
A person, who is homeless and has insufficient income, shall have the rights to receive appropriate aids from State.
Part 10. Rights To Receive Information and Lodge Complaints
Section 56
A person shall have the right of access and regard public information in the possession of government agencies, State agencies, State enterprises, or local governments, unless disclosure of such information or information may jeopardize the security of the State, public safety, or the interests of a person or persons who should be protected as providing by law.
Section 57
A person shall have the right to receive information, explanation, and reason from government agencies, State agencies, State enterprises, or local government before the approval or implementation of a project or activities which might have a serious impact on the environment, health, sanitary conditions, quality of life, or other important interests of his or her own or of the community, and shall also have the right to voice his or her own opinion to the responsible agency to be used as input in appraising the said project or activities.
In making a plan for social, economic, political, and cultural development, or in expropriation of private property by eminent domain, or in town planning, zoning, or in issuing regulations with an important impact on the benefits of the people, the State must organize comprehensive public hearings before implementation.
Section 58
A person shall have the right to participate in the procedure of State officials administering the State affairs, which may affect their personal rights and liberties.
Section 59
A person shall have the right to lodge a complaint and get response within a reasonable time.
Section 60
A person shall have the right to sue a government agency, State agency, State enterprise, local government, or any other State organ which is a juristic person, for act or omission of act by a civil servant, or staff member or person(s) in their employ.
Section 61
The right of a person to receive truthful information as a consumer shall be protected, and he or she shall enjoy the right to lodge a complaint and demand a remedy for damages, and the right to assemble to protect consumers’ rights.
An independent body shall be instituted to protect consumers, consisting of consumer representatives whose duty is to offer opinions for use in consideration by the State agencies enacting and enforcing laws and rules, to offer opinions in laying down provisions, and scrutinize and report acts or omission of acts to protect consumers. The State has to provide government statement of expenditure to such independent body.
Section 62
A person shall have the right to monitor and demand scrutiny of holders of political office or State officials in their discharge of duties.
A person shall be protected, who provides information to the agency scrutinizing the exercise of State powers by holders of political office, State agencies, or State officials.
Part 11. Freedom of Assembly and Association
Section 63
A person shall enjoy the liberty of peaceful and unarmed assembly.
Restriction of such liberty under paragraph one is prohibited except by virtue of law specifically enacted in the context of public assembly and to secure convenience for the people using the public place, or to maintain public peace and order during war or a state of emergency or when martial law has been declared.
Section 64
A person shall enjoy the liberty of assembly in the form of association, unions, cooperatives, farmers’ associations, private organizations, nongovernmental organization and other groups.
Civil servants and State officials shall enjoy the liberty of assembly like the general public, provided that doing so does not affect the efficient administration of State affairs and the continuity of delivery of public services as providing by law.
Restriction of liberty under paragraph one and paragraph two is prohibited except by virtue of law specifically to protect public interests, to maintain public peace and order or good morals, or to prevent economic monopoly.
Section 65
A person shall enjoy the liberty to unite and form a political party for the purpose of making political will of the people and carrying out political activities in fulfillment of such will through the democratic regime of government with the King as Head of the State as provided in this Constitution.
The internal organization, management and regulations of a political party shall be consistent with fundamental principles of the democratic regime of government with the King as Head of the State.
Members of the House of Representatives who are members of a political party, members of the Executive Committee of a political party, or members of a political party, as to the number prescribed by the organic law on political parties shall, if of the opinion that their political party’s resolution or regulation on any matter is contrary to the status and performance of duties of a member of the House of Representatives under this Constitution, or contrary to or inconsistent with fundamental principles of the democratic regime of government with the King as Head of the State, have the rights to refer it to the Constitutional Court for decision thereon.
In the case where the Constitutional Court decides that such resolution or regulation is contrary to or inconsistent with fundamental principles of the democratic regime of government with the King as Head of the State, such resolution or regulation shall lapse.
Part 12. Community Rights
Section 66
Persons so assembling to be a community, local community, or traditional community shall have the rights to conserve or restore their customs, local knowledge, arts or good culture of their community and of the nation and participate in the management, maintenance, preservation and exploitation of natural resources, environment, and biological diversity in a balanced fashion and persistently.
Section 67
The rights of a person to give to the State and communities participation in the conservation, preservation and exploitation of natural resources and biological diversity and in the protection, promotion and preservation of the quality of the environment for usual and consistent survival in the environment which is not hazardous to his or her health and sanitary condition, welfare or quality of life, shall be appropriately protected.
Any project or activity which may seriously affect to the community in quality of the environment, natural resources, and health shall not be permitted, unless its impacts on the quality of the environment and health condition of people in the community have been studied and evaluated; and procedure on public hearing from the people and those affected, including from an independent organization, consisting of representatives from private environmental and health organizations and from higher education institutions providing studies in the environmental, natural resources, and health field, have been obtained prior to the operation of such project or activity.
The rights of a community to sue a government agency, State agency, State enterprises, local government organization, or other State agencies which are juristic persons, to perform the duties as provided by this provision shall be protected.
Part 13. Rights To Protect the Constitution
Section 68
A person is prohibited from using the rights and liberties provided in the Constitution to overthrow the democratic rule with the King as the Head of the State as provided by this Constitution; or to acquire power to rule the country by means other than is provided in the Constitution.
Where a person or political party acts under paragraph one, the witness thereof has the right to report the matter to the Prosecutor General to investigate facts and to submit a request to the Constitutional Court for decision to order cessation of such act without prejudice to criminal proceedings against the doer of the act.
If the Constitutional Court decides to order cessation of the said act under paragraph two, the Constitutional Court may order dissolution of that political party.
In case of order dissolution of that political party by the Constitutional Court under paragraph three, the leader of the dissolute Party and the member of the board of the executive committee under paragraph one are prohibited the right of election for five years from the date of order by the Constitutional Court.
Section 69
A person shall have the right to peacefully resist any act committed to obtain powers to rule the country by means not in accordance with the modus operandi as provided in the Constitution.
