Bangkok – Thailand’s Deputy Permanent Secretary for Justice has reminded the public that not knowing a law cannot be used as an excuse when violating that law.
Speaking on ‘Thailand Moves Forward’ Deputy Permanent Secretary for Justice Tawachai Thaikiew indicated that, by law, citizens cannot cite an ignorance of the law as a reason for violation, even if it not possible for a citizen to know the full extent of all the country’s laws. He stated that members of the public should seek to learn the most necessary parts of the legal code and understand the legal process.
The deputy permanent secretary said the Ministry of Justice has setup a fund to support the dissemination of legal knowledge and has tasked agencies, such as the Lawyers Council, the Attorney General’s Office and courts, to utilize the funds to hold activities that provide legal knowledge to the public.
The ministry is also building a network of the legally knowledgeable to communicate needed know-how to Thai society. Tawachai noted, however, that the most effective method so far has been directly teaching law to students in school, providing them with a basis for critical thinking about the legal system in the future.
