Court procedure

February 24, 1969. Moerman took notes on the court. The cases which were still under consideration would be given a number in black (Black Case), while the cases whose the verdicts were pronounced would be noted in red (Red case). The black cases signified “dark, mysterious” because no one knew the end. On the contrary, the red represented the cases which had already been judged. In the past, prisoners had been tattooed in red, and red determined the fate of those convicted.

Court procedure

At the Bangkok Criminal Court in early May. Documents relating to criminal cases were stored in a wire mesh to prevent damage, theft or modification of the documents. In order to read the documents, the applicant would need to use long stick to turn pages and then copy the appropriate section. However, lawyers often hired court clerks to copy on their behalf.

Ca sa:n (Apparitor)

January 14. The notary brought Moerman to visit the courtroom. He also explained the procedures for the filing and destroying of the documents. January 21. Penthip criticized the work of notary, as it was not effective. Those who came on as notaries had not passed the bar examinations.

Court statistics

June 10, 1969. The cases in the charge of the Chiang Mai Provincial Court concerned the smuggling of opium. These cases were placed in the category of ‘serious’. For other cases such as illegal butchering, the District Court would be responsible. These cases would be considered as tax cases.