Thailand's first tourist court opened on Thursday in the world-renowned resort city of Pattaya, where cases, both civil and criminal, filed by aggrieved tourists can be tried and decided speedily and decisions handed down before a foreign complainant leaves the country.

Deputy Attorney General Sattaya Arunthari said the Pattaya Tourist Court will handle lawsuits filed by foreign guests involving crimes committed against them in the city, such as fraud, robbery, theft, rape and physical assault.

According to Sattaya, proceedings in the Pattaya tourist court, the first of its kind in Thailand and maybe even in all of Southeast Asia, will be done faster than in ordinary courts so that it will probably take just two weeks for the judge to render a decision on felony cases. In ordinary courts, proceedings on cases like this could take months or even years.

"The tourist court can even hand down a verdict on a lawsuit in one day if the complainant or the victim has sufficient evidence and can present credible witnesses against the accused," he said.

"Among the cases that can be speedily tried are those involving swindling of tourists or the stealing of their valuables," he added.

Cases filed by tourists who have been victimized by local thugs take time to be tried in ordinary courts. Most complainants usually just decide to leave the country instead of waiting for the cases to be decided, according to Sattaya.

Apart from Pattaya, other tourist courts will open at a later date in Bangkok, including one in Dusit District covering TrokKhaosarn (Rice Alley) Road area, and another one in Pathumwan district covering Patpong and Silom areas.

Xinhua