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the deadline · Bangkok · Thailand

Is it too late to report in Bangkok?

Probably later than you think.

Bangkok does have a deadline, and it is quoted in full below rather than summarised. It is measured against the law, not against how long you have been quiet.

Some of this comes from support organisations or published research rather than an official source in Thailand. Sources are below.

Start a reportYou can read this page without writing anything.

the deadline in Bangkok, quoted in full

For most rape cases, you have up to 10 years from what happened to file a criminal complaint with police. This is set out in sections 276 and 95(3) of the Thai Penal Code. If the case involves a spouse, the complaint must be filed within 3 months of what happened. The same limit applies to indecent assault in a private place against someone over 15. Because evidence fades quickly, it is best to report as soon as you are able.

We quote this rather than shorten it. A shortened deadline is a wrong deadline, and this is the sentence a lawyer would want to read.

2 different clocks

The exam window runs in hours. The deadline runs in years.

the exam window in Bangkok

Ask for a medical exam at a government hospital OSCC as soon as possible. Try not to shower, change clothes or urinate beforehand if you can, since evidence on your body and clothes can be lost. HIV post-exposure prophylaxis needs to start within 72 hours to work. Emergency contraception is also most effective if taken within 72 hours, and is available over the counter at pharmacies.

This is the clock that runs out fast. You can be examined without deciding whether to go to the police.

the limitation period

This is the deadline for the case itself — how long the law gives before a prosecution can no longer be brought. It is usually many years for rape, and often longer or unlimited when the survivor was a child.

Missing the exam window does not mean the limitation period has passed. They are separate clocks.

where to report in Bangkok

You can go straight to any police station and give a statement. Or go first to the nearest government hospital and ask for the OSCC (One Stop Crisis Centre) desk. The Police General Hospital in Bangkok has an OSCC that will see you without a police referral. It can help you make a criminal complaint at the same time. OSCC staff can also connect you with a psychiatrist or social worker. You can request a female or male officer. Ask for an English interpreter if you are not comfortable in Thai.

The full guide for Bangkok: what to bring, the exam, the station, every source

if the deadline has passed

A closed case is not the same as no record.

If the period above has run out where you are, a prosecution may no longer be possible. That is the plain truth and we will not dress it up. 3 things are still open to you.

  • a timestamped report

    What you write here is dated and kept. Years later, a record that existed before anyone asked for it carries weight a memory does not.

  • a sealed report that can match

    Seal it against an identifier — a profile link, a phone, a workplace. Nobody sees it until someone else names the same person. Their case may still be inside the deadline.

  • a pin on the map

    Publish it and the next person searching Bangkok can see it. He stays an alias unless a court, the police or the press have already published his name.

Many countries also treat the clock differently when the survivor was a child, when the offence is ongoing, or when new evidence appears. A support organisation in this list can tell you whether that applies to you.

who can tell you today

People in Bangkok who do this every day.

These are independent of Escrow. They know how the deadline is read in practice where you are, and they can also just talk.

  • OSCC 1300 hotline (Ministry of Social Development and Human Security)

    1300

  • Women and Men Progressive Movement Foundation (pro bono legal help for sexual abuse cases)

    0-2513-2889

  • Lawyers Council of Thailand (pro bono legal aid)

    1167

sources

The deadline above came from one of these.

the honest note

This is information, not legal advice.

Nobody here is your lawyer. The deadline above is quoted from a source we read, and the date we read it is beside it. Laws change, and an office may read a deadline differently from the statute. For your own case, ask a lawyer or a support organisation in Bangkok.

If something here is out of date, write to hello@escrow.nanocorp.app and we will check it and say when we did.

when you are ready

There is no deadline for writing it down here. A report on Escrow can be made years afterwards, and nothing happens until you say so.

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