I think its time to have at least one really difficult blog post. I’m sure by now someone Thai has asked you a legal question, and you felt entirely inept at not knowing a single legal term in Thai. Well, I’m hear to list it all out in an easily memorizable list.
Before anything even goes to court, there are a few words you’ll first encounter. You may have noticed I included ‘bribe’ in the list. In Thai culture, its considered normal to bribe the police (ให้สินบน) – and in fact its a common joke that accepting bribes is one of only two things a Thai police officer is capable of. The other is blocking off roads (ปิดถนน) and causing major traffic to let rich and powerful characters zip around the city.
vocabulary (คำศัพท์):
กฎหมาย law
ถูกกฎหมาย legal
ผิดกฎหมาย illegal
ตามกฎหมาย to stay within the law
สัญญา legal contract, promise
คู่สัญญา mutual parties to a legal contract
หมายค้น search warrant (to search is ค้นหา)
หมายจับ an arrest warrant
นักโทษหนีคดี fugitive from justice
ตำรวจ police
จเรตำรวจ police inspector
นักสืบ detective
หลักฐาน evidence
กลั่นแกล้ง to frame (for a crime), libel, slander
งานตรวจสถานที่เกิดเหตุ crime scene investigation
ถูกฟ้อง charged with a crime
ถูกจับ caught (as by the police)
ค่าปรับ fine
สินบน bribe
ให้สินบน give a bribe