'This is a ground-breaking work – the first collection of Thai legal history essays in English. Featuring works by a group of senior and junior scholars, these essays range right across the epochs and encompass an eclectic mix of subjects. Radiating scholarship and erudition, these essays will appeal to specialists and generalists alike. Hats off to Harding and Pongsapan for pulling off what those studying legal history in Southeast Asia have long regarded as an impossibility. An important and compelling read.' Kevin Tan, Professor of Law, National University of Singapore
1. Introduction Andrew Harding; 2. Thai legal history: a brief literature review Rawin Leelapana, Andrew Harding and Eugenie Merieau; Part I. Traditional law and its modern resonances: 3. Thammasat, custom and royal authority in Siam's legal history Chris Baker and Pasuk Phongpaichit; 4. The history of the initial royal command: a reflection on the legal and political contexts of kingship and the modern state in Siam Kongsatja Suwanapech; 5. Buddhist influence on the ancient Siamese legal system, from Ayutthaya to the twenty-first century Khemthong Tonsakulrungruang; 6. A history of the Thai Le`se-Majeste´ law Eugenie Merieau; 7. Blood curse and belonging in Thailand: law, Buddhism and legal consciousness David M. Engel; Part II. Foreign influence and the reform period: 8. British judges in the supreme court of Siam Surutchada Reekie and Adam Reekie; 9. The fundamental misconception in the drafting of the Thai civil and commercial code of 1925 Munin Pongsapan; 10. The modernisation of Thai criminal law: from the 1908 penal code to the 1956 criminal code Kanaphon Chanhom; 11. Thai trust law: a legal import rooted in pragmatism Surutchada Reekie and Narun Popattanachai; 12. The history of Thai family laws: strong women and weak gender equality under the law Apinop Atipiboonsin; 13. The origins of Thailand's bureaucratic state and the consolidation of administrative justice Peter Leyland; 14. Siam and the standard of civilisation in the nineteenth century Krisdakorn Wongwuthikun and Naporn Popattanachai; Part III. Constitutional conflicts 1932–2017: 15. The Thai-style democracy in post-1932 Thailand and its challenges: a quest for nirvana of constitutional samsara in Thai legal history before 1997 Rawin Leelapatana; 16. Permutations of the basic structure: Thai constitutionalism and the democratic regime with the king as head Henning Glaser; 17. The 1991–1992 judicial crisis: personalities or principles? Duncan McCargo; 18. Without account: coups, amnesties and justice in Thailand Tyrell Haberkorn; Glossary; Index.