Thailand Bail has worked on a number of interesting and unique bail cases throughout the years, giving us real, on-the-ground experience dealing with a variety of situations. In Thailand lawyers must be both well-versed in academic aspects of the law as well as practical situations that they can pull from when they need to. However, there are some newsworthy bail cases that come about occasionally that are worth learning from. Our article today explores a few of these bail cases and what can be learned about Thai law and bail in Thailand from these stories.

The first case involves media and former political leader Sondhi Limthongkul, who had his bail requests denied by the Supreme Court in August 2014. Thailand Bail’s Thai lawyers and case specialists sometimes see Khun Sondhi at the Criminal Court, checking on one of his many cases. He has faced several ups and downs, including having been shot in a drive-by shooting in Bangkok years ago. With the criminal cases he faces nowadays, his life has not gotten any easier. Instead of being attacked by guns, he is being attacked by lawsuits. Sondhi’s case touches on the differences between applying for bail in Thailand’s first court, court of appeals, and the Supreme Court. Thai courts are different than those found outside Thailand, and understanding the procedures in these three criminal courts of Thailand can be difficult. Here is more information about the Supreme Court, straight from the Supreme Court.

Another case about bail in Thailand involves the former prime minister, Yingluck Shinawatra. Yingluck was involved in perhaps the biggest criminal case of the year in Thailand in 2015. Yingluck’s bail was raised to 30,000,000 THB. Most bail cases in Thailand do not involve such a large amount of money, but Yingluck’s case was unique. Thailand Bail usually handles cases up to 3,000,000 THB in cash, and more than this involving chanote or land title deed bail applications. More details about this bail case involve the Supreme Court once again getting involved in bail. Just recently in December 2015, Yingluck’s lawyers applied for international bail for her. However, it was denied. Perhaps the fact that Yingluck’s brother Thaksin skipped bail, when he was granted international bail in 2008, had something to do with Yingluck’s international bail being denied. International bail is an area of expertise for Thailand Bail, and not every legal team, including that of former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, knows how to do it successfully. If you are waiting through the lengthy legal process of a criminal case in Thailand and need to go back home, please contact us about international bail.

Finally, there was a case in 2013 involving an upcountry Thai woman and her husband who went to pick mushrooms in the forest. These two were arrested for deforesting in a special area. Despite the lack of evidence of them doing anything more than picking mushrooms, the couple were charged. While waiting for their day in court, bail was difficult to receive, and eventually only the husband was able to get bail, which was accepted at 500,000 THB. This story is a good example of how easily you can get into legal trouble in Thailand. Some of the laws are bizarre, and the police can enforce even the smallest of laws and turn them into major legal problems. We advise all of our current and potential clients to be aware of the laws of Thailand, but also have our phone number saved, in case you get arrested in Thailand.

LINKS TO THE ORIGINAL STORIES
http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/supreme-court-rejects-sondhis-bail-request
http://www.supremecourt.or.th/file/dika_eng.pdf
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/politics/783177/court-vetoes-yingluck-trip
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/419021c8-677b-11dd-8d3b-0000779fd18c.html#axzz3v9X2nbUo
www.thailandbail.com/contact
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Bail-hopes-rise-for-woman-in-forest-case-30222716.html