Thailand Law Library

by Thailand Lawyer

Chapter 1: Offence of Theft and Snatching

Whoever dishonestly takes away any property of another person or which the other person to be co-owner to be said to commit the theft, shall be imprisoned not out of three years and fined not more of six thousand Baht.

Whoever commits theft under any of the following circumstances:

1. By night;
2. In the place or precinct where there is fire, explosion, flood, or in the place or precinct where there is an accident, distress to railway or other public conveyance or other similar calamity, or by taking advantage of such accident, distress or calamity, or by taking advantage of any public panic;
3. By damaging a barricade made for the protection of persons or things, or by penetrating through such barricade by any means whatever;
4. By using a passage not intended for human entrance, or a passage opened by an accomplice;
5. By disguising himself, or by impersonating another person, or by blackening his face or doing otherwise so that he may not be seen or recognized;
6. By falsely pretending that he is an official;
7. By carrying arms, or by having two persons upwards participating;
8. In a dwelling place, official place or place provided for public service which he has entered without permission, or has hidden himself therein;
9. In a place of public worship, a railway station, an airport, a public parking or mooring place for cars or boats, a public place for loading and discharging goods or in a public conveyance
10. Upon a thing used or possessed for public benefit;
11. Upon a thing belonging to or in possession of the employer;
12. Upon a thing belonging to an agriculturist, which is a product, plant, animal or implement possessed for the purpose of carrying on agricultural pursuit or acquired from such agricultural pursuit,

Shall be punished with imprisonment of one to five years and fined of two thousand to ten thousand Baht.

If the offence committed according to the first paragraph comes under the circumstances provided in the above-mentioned sub-sections from two sub-sections upwards also, the offender shall be punished with imprisonment of one to seven years and fined of two thousand to fourteen thousand Baht.

If the offence according to the first paragraph be committed against the ox, buffalo, mechanical device or machinery of the agriculturist to possess for purpose of carrying on agricultural pursuit, the offender shall be punished with imprisonment of three to ten years and fined of six thousand to twenty thousand Baht.

If the offence mentioned in this Section be committed against the will or on account of unbearable poverty, and the property stolen is of little value, the Court may inflict the punishment on the offender as provided in Section 334.

Whoever, commits theft by taking away the Buddhist Statue, religious object, or any part thereof, which is possessed for the public to worship or kept for being the property of Nation, shall be punished with imprisonment of three to ten years and fined of six thousand to twenty thousand Baht.

If the commission of offence according to the first paragraph be committed in the temple, dwelling place of the monks, religious worship place, ancient place of the State, official place or National museum, the offender shall be punished with imprisonment of five to fifteen years and fined of ten thousand to thirty thousand Baht.

Whoever, commits theft by snatching in presence is said to commit snatching, and shall be punished with imprisonment not exceeding five years and fined not exceeding ten thousand Baht. If the snatching causes bodily or mental harm to another person, the offender shall be punished with imprisonment of two to seven years and fined of four thousand to fourteen thousand Baht. If the snatching causes grievous bodily harm to another person, the offender shall be punished with imprisonment of three to ten years and fined of six thousand to twenty thousand Baht.

If the snatching causes death to another person, the offender shall be punished with imprisonment of five to fifteen years and fined of ten thousand to thirty thousand Baht.

Whoever, committing the offence under Section 334, Section 335, Section 335-2, or Section 336 by wearing the soldier or police uniform or dressing so as to cause the other person to believe that oneself to be the soldier or police, or by carrying or using the gun or explosive, or using the conveyance so as to facilitate in committing the offence, to take away such thing or escape from the arrest, shall be punished more than that as prescribed in such Section by half.