Foreign nationals in Thailand are entitled to legal rights equal to those of Thai citizens.
When a foreign national acts as a plaintiff in a labor case before the Labor Court in Thailand, he or she is entitled to file the case without the requirement to appoint a lawyer.
Nevertheless, in practice, this may give rise to difficulties, as court officials in Thailand communicate and conduct proceedings in the Thai language. As Thailand is a sovereign country and is not, and has never been, a colony of any western nation, court proceedings are conducted primarily in Thai.
Accordingly, it is advisable for foreign nationals to appoint a lawyer who is proficient in both Thai and English to represent them, in order to ensure convenience and effective conduct of the case.
Rujira Bunnag
