How Well Do Thais Know the Law? Why Legal Education Must Start in School

I’ve watched many talk shows lately —
Hone Krasae, Tok Mai Thieng, Open Talk with Pakpoom, and others.
One thing becomes very clear:
Most citizens don’t know their rights or the law.
And when that happens,
those who know more use the law —
or its loopholes —
to exploit or intimidate those who know less.
.
In this era of information abundance,
we ironically find that “ignorance” —
especially ignorance of one’s own rights —
remains one of the main reasons
why so many people are denied protection.
.
Or worse —
their rights are violated,
and they can’t even defend themselves.
.
Not knowing the law
does not mean you won’t face punishment under it.
.
But on the contrary —
not knowing your own rights
is the real trap
that prevents many people
from ever accessing justice.
.
One case that reflects this clearly
was that of a middle-aged woman in Khon Kaen
reported in 2023.
.
She was stopped at a police checkpoint
and forced to let officers search her car
without a warrant,
without reasonable suspicion.
She didn’t dare refuse,
thinking, “Police can check anything they want.”
.
The incident ended peacefully,
with no arrest.
But the question is…
What if she had unknowingly carried something illegal?
Or what if false charges were planted against her?
Would she have been able to defend herself?
.
This reveals a harsh truth:
Many Thais don’t even know
they can refuse a vehicle search
if there’s no court warrant
or reasonable cause under the law.
.
Another example:
A 14-year-old boy in Bangkok
was punished by his teacher,
his hair cut in front of the entire class.
When his parents complained to the school director,
they were told:
“It’s a school matter. Don’t file a police report.”
.
But in truth,
that act violated the boy’s bodily rights
under child protection law.
The parents had every right
to file a complaint with authorities.
Yet out of ignorance and fear of the system,
they backed down.
.
These situations repeat endlessly —
in healthcare, public services, arrests,
abuse of power,
even simple matters like obtaining an ID card.
.
The question is…
Why don’t we have basic legal education
as part of Thailand’s national curriculum?
.
Many developed countries —
Finland, Canada, Germany,
even our neighbor Malaysia —
teach “Civic Rights and Basic Law”
from early secondary school.
.
Students there learn
what constitutional freedoms they have,
their civic duties,
how to deal with state officials,
and where to report when rights are violated.
.
Meanwhile, many Thai students
graduate compulsory education
without even knowing
the difference between a search warrant and an arrest warrant,
or how much authority officials really have over them.
.
This ignorance becomes a gateway
for abuse of power
and evasion of accountability.
.
Integrating rights and legal literacy
into the national curriculum
isn’t about producing “mini lawyers.”
It’s about creating citizens
who understand the system,
know how to protect their rights,
and can’t be easily deceived or silenced.
.
The content doesn’t need to be complex —
just start with the basics:
✅ Constitutional rights
✅ Complaint procedures
✅ How to behave when encountering officers
✅ Everyday laws: rental contracts, online purchases, fraud cases
.
When people have legal immunity through knowledge,
society becomes less fertile
for corruption and misuse of authority.
.
And only then
will justice no longer belong solely
to “those who know the system” —
but to everyone.
.
It’s not too late for Thailand,
if we start with something simple yet powerful —
teaching legal literacy in schools.
.
Join the discussion at
https://www.facebook.com/Ex.MatchingProperty/posts/pfbid02M1qgw9ZmuHx4s29smE66DhLEjZJXVioiBMt9vG9i3mwh1mjueqefLN1qg5s54giql