
Contents
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Monarchy Monarchy
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Royal Verdicts Royal Verdicts
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Royal Pardons Royal Pardons
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Lord of Life Lord of Life
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Valorizing Royalist Judges Valorizing Royalist Judges
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Buddhism Buddhism
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Cite
Abstract
This chapter discusses how Thai judges understand the world around them, and their own place in it, and how judges are viewed by others in Thai society. The self-image of Thai judges as royal servants, granted special proximity to the crown, is central to any understanding of Thai justice. The results of this judicial royalism are plain for all to see. Judges sit on the bench beneath large portraits of the King, literally and figuratively embodying both his merit and his authority. They are among the few public servants to swear a personal oath of allegiance to the crown, a privilege that has been written into successive constitutions. Yet royal judicial benevolence comes at a price. Mass prison pardons go hand in hand with one of the world's most draconian sentencing regimes. For the King to remain literally a “lord of life,” Thailand needs to retain the death penalty—albeit a death penalty that is only rarely enforced. To question the harshness of the justice system is implicitly to question the privileged position of the crown. To question the performance of the courts implies not simply contempt of court, but also a lack of respect for the monarchy. As such, Thailand's courts are not simply dedicated to the maintenance of peace and order: they are also centrally concerned with defending the privileged position of the monarchy within the Thai state. This concern inevitably shapes the habitus and the dispositions of Thai judges.
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