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Country Background

Thailand is located in Southeast Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea. It is bounded by Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar. The capital of Thailand is Bangkok. The official language is Thai. The country's population in 2017 was approximately 68.4 million. Thailand is a predominantly Buddhist country, with about 95% of the population Buddhist. Islam is the largest minority religion in Thailand, and Muslims make up about 4% of the country's population. Thailand is an observer state of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

Constitution & Legal Structure

Thailand is officially referred to as a constitutional monarchy, in which sovereignty belongs to the people and the Constitution is the supreme law of the land. The system of government was based on principles of separation and checks and balances and had three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial; however, following a military coup in 2014, Thailand has operated as a military dictatorship under a constitutional monarchy. This military junta is known as the National Council for Peace and Order, and they have partially repealed the 2007 Constitution in order to declare martial law, instate a nationwide curfew, ban political gatherings, censor the internet, and arrest political activists. The legal system of Thailand is a civil law system with common law influences.

Islamic law has no constitutional status in Thailand. 

Jurisdiction(s) of Islamic Law

Islamic law has no official jurisdiction of operation in Thailand. However, in Yala, Narathiwat, Pattani, and Songkhla provinces, Islamic law is allowed for settling matters of personal status for the Muslim population. 

Dominant School of Islamic Law

Thailand has no official school of Islamic law. The vast majority of the Muslim population in the country is Sunnī.

Sources of Law for Legal Research

Official Publications

• Legislative
  • Government Gazette
  • Rathasapha [National Assembly] consisting of the Wuthisapha [Senate] and Sapha Phuthaen Ratsadon [House of Representatives]
  • Law Reform Commission
  • Financial, Economic, and Business Laws (Thailand Law Forum)
• Executive
  
  • Government Portal
  • Council of State
  • Cabinet
  • Ministry of Justice
• Judicial
  • An overview of the court system can be found here on the judiciary's website
  • Constitutional Court
  • Supreme Administrative Court 
  • Thailand Supreme Court Opinion Summaries (Thailand Law Forum)

Unofficial Databases

• FAOLEX: Thailand (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) database of national laws and regulations on food, agriculture, and renewable natural resources.
• NATLEX: Thailand (International Labour Organization) database of national laws on labor, social security, and related human rights.
• RefWorld Legal Information: Thailand (UNHCR)
• WIPO Lex: Thailand (World Intellectual Property Organization)
• Thailand Supreme Court Cases (Asian Legal Information Institute) 

References:

For an extended list of legal resources for this country, see the Library of Congress’s Research Guide, and for a narrative review, see the GlobaLex Foreign Law Research Guide (most updated version, where available). The Constitution is available in the LOC Guide in its original language and at Constitute in English translation. For full versions of past constitutions, amendments, and related legislation, see HeinOnline World Constitutions Illustrated or Oxford Constitutions of the World [subscription required for each].