Justifications to Divorce in Thailand

Grounds of Divorce

Section 1516 of the Thai Civil and Commercial Code outlines a range of situations that qualify as legitimate grounds for divorce. These encompass:
 

1. Adultery: When one spouse engages in extramarital affairs, it serves as grounds for divorce.
2. Misconduct: Instances of misconduct leading to severe shame, animosity, substantial injury, or disrupting cohabitation can warrant a divorce.
3. Severe Harm or Torture: Inflicting substantial physical or mental harm on a spouse can be a basis for divorce.
4. Desertion: Abandonment by one spouse for over a year without valid reasons constitutes a ground for divorce.
5. Imprisonment: If a spouse receives a sentence of over a year for an offense, it can be a reason for divorce.
6. Separation: Voluntary separation for more than three years due to an inability to live together peacefully is recognized as a ground for divorce.
7. Spouse’s Disappearance: If a spouse goes missing for over three years in an uncertain location, it may warrant divorce.
8. Failure in Support: Failure to provide necessary support or causing substantial adversity to the relationship can justify divorce.
9. Mental Health Issues: Continuous adjudication of an unsound mind, quasi-incompetence, or incompetence for over three years can be grounds for divorce.
10. Breach of Good-Behavior Bond: Violating a bond of good behavior is recognized as a reason for divorce.
11. Transmittable Disease: If a spouse suffers from a contagious and dangerous disease, it can be a basis for divorce.
12. Physical Disadvantage: A spouse’s physical condition that prevents cohabitation can serve as grounds for divorce.

These comprehensive grounds provide a legal framework for individuals encountering challenging circumstances in their marriage, offering a means to seek dissolution through the formal process of divorce.

Insanity

Under Section 1519 of the Thai Civil and Commercial Code (TCCC), divorce may be pursued if a spouse is classified as either insane or unsound-minded. This provision mandates two specific criteria:

1. Mental State of the Spouse: The condition necessitates the spouse to be either clinically insane or in a state of unsound mind.
2. Court Designation: For the divorce to proceed, the court must officially designate the spouse as an individual who is unsound-minded according to the conditions specified under Section 28 of the TCCC.

This legal clause provides a pathway for divorce proceedings in situations where a spouse’s mental condition meets the stringent criteria of being either clinically insane or in a state of unsound mind, as per the court’s designation outlined in Section 28.

Compensation for Spouse

Section 1523 of the Thai Civil and Commercial Code outlines the entitlement to compensation for a spouse under specific circumstances:

1. Court Adjudication: If a spouse is legally adjudicated as guilty of adultery as per Section 1516 (1), they are liable to compensate the other spouse.
2. Adultery: A spouse found guilty of adultery is obligated to provide compensation to the other spouse.

It’s important to note that the right to claim this compensation is forfeited if the affected spouse consents to or collaborates in the act of adultery.
This provision aims to ensure fairness and provide recourse to the innocent spouse who suffers due to the wrongful actions of the other partner.

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