The Pattaya Provincial Court has opened its Mediation Center, aimed at settling cases favorably for both sides out of court.
Superior Court Judge Payung Chusong presided over the June 30 opening. Sutee Srabua, head judge of the inaugural class, laid out the objectives of the center.
He said the Mediation Center was established to honor HRH Princess Sirindhorn for her 60th birthday in April. Its objective is to reduce unnecessary court cases that can be settled without a judge.
Court conciliator Paisarn Bandityanon demonstrated mediation strategies by showing a common court case as an example, a foreign husband and Thai wife.
Judges and conciliators of Pattaya Provincial Court cut the ribbon to open the Mediation Center.
Many people may already know that according to the law, foreigners are not allowed to own property and when they purchase the property, it’s more likely they purchased the property under the name of their wives instead of a company name.
When there’s a family problem, court is the first thing that comes to mind and if the property is sold, all the money belongs to the owner of the property. The Mediation Center will operate as a court to help solve the problem.
Services will be provided until both parties are satisfied without any time consumption or cost. It will aim to conclude all cases as a win-win situation.
Mediators are trained in working with difficult situations. The mediator acts as a “middle man” and guides the parties through the process.
The mediator helps the parties think “outside of the box” for possible solutions to the dispute, broadening the range of possible solutions. The center will also work between continuous court cases that have already been brought to court.
In most circumstances, the mere fact that parties are willing to mediate means that they are ready to “move” their position. The parties thus are more amenable to understanding the other party’s side and work on underlying issues to the dispute.
This has the added benefit of often preserving the relationship the parties had before the dispute. The mediation process generally takes much less time than moving a case through standard legal channels. While a case in the hands of a lawyer or a court may take months or years to resolve, mediation usually achieves a resolution in a matter of hours. Taking less time means expending less money on hourly fees and costs.
