Occasionally, bail in Thailand makes it into the popular news. This has been one of those times in Thailand, as the country recently experienced another military coup. One of the first actions of the Thai army was to detain over 100 politicians, reporters, and academics. Several of the people who were detained included ex-Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban, and ex-Education Minister Chaturon Chaisaeng. While Suthep was granted bail last week, Chaturon’s bail was denied. This difference leads to interesting conversation about how uniformly bail is accepted in Thailand. While most of the people we work with are not politicians or education ministers, bail in Thailand has an interest way of being accepted or denied.

While this can be discouraging to some people who are trying to work with us to apply for bail for their family or friend, it also means that just about everyone has a chance at bail here in Thailand. We have seen bail be accepted for people who obviously committed a crime, and we have seen bail in Thailand be denied for those who were innocent. No legal system is perfect, but it is important to understand how to utilize these unique differences in Thai law so that we can get your friend or family out of prison soon.

The most important thing to remember is that since bail is decided by a single judge, the bail appeal is so important. We really cannot stress this enough. So many times, we have heard about defendants being denied bail, and their lawyer stops there – he or she does not appeal the bail. Why? Oftentimes, these attorneys do not want to even try the appeal, because it takes several hours to research and write. We do not care how long it takes, if it gives our clients a better chance at getting out of Thai prison.

To understand more about the bail process and getting people out of Thai prison, read our page on bail in Thailand. If you need professional legal consultation for a bail application, bail appeal, or criminal / civil cases, contact us now to discuss your case with a qualified native English speaker for free.

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