Article 321: Discharge by substituted performance (datio in solutum)
Statutory text (Thai original)
ถ้าเจ้าหนี้ยอมรับการชำระหนี้อย่างอื่นแทนการชำระหนี้ที่ได้ตกลงกันไว้ ท่านว่าหนี้นั้นก็เป็นอันระงับสิ้นไป ถ้าเพื่อที่จะทำให้พอแก่ใจเจ้าหนี้นั้น ลูกหนี้รับภาระเป็นหนี้อย่างใดอย่างหนึ่งขึ้นใหม่ต่อเจ้าหนี้ไซร้ เมื่อกรณีเป็นที่สงสัย ท่านมิให้สันนิษฐานว่าลูกหนี้ได้ก่อหนี้นั้นขึ้นแทนการชำระหนี้ ถ้าชำระหนี้ด้วยออก-ด้วยโอน-หรือด้วยสลักหลังตั๋วเงินหรือประทวนสินค้า ท่านว่าหนี้นั้นจะระงับสิ้นไปต่อเมื่อตั๋วเงินหรือประทวนสินค้านั้นได้ใช้เงินแล้ว
Verbatim from the Royal Gazette / Office of the Council of State
English translation
An obligation is extinguished if the creditor accepts in lieu of performance another performance than agreed upon. If the debtor, for the purpose of satisfying the creditor, assumes a new obligation towards him, is not to be presumed, in case of doubt, that he assumes the obligation in lieu of performance. If performance is made by making, transferring, or endorsing a bull or warrant, the obligation is extinguished only if such bill or warrant is paid.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified. Always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 321 is part of Book 2 (Obligations) of the Thai Civil and Commercial Code. This entry is awaiting firm-authored commentary; the statutory text above is verbatim from the Office of the Council of State (OCS Krisdika) Thai source, with the English translation from the FAO/UN FAOLEX repository. Always rely on the Thai original for legal proceedings.
Why this matters in practice
For lawyers: when a debtor transfers property instead of paying cash, confirm in writing that this is accepted as full satisfaction; ambiguity defaults to the new transfer being security only. For laypersons: handing over goods instead of money discharges a debt only if the creditor expressly agrees it is in full settlement.
Legislative history
Part of the original Civil and Commercial Code codification; no major subsequent amendment.
Décisions de la Cour suprême interprétant cette section
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Arrêt de la Cour suprême n° 13678/2558 (2015)
Section 321 paragraph one, the general rule, provides that where the creditor accepts a performance other than the one agreed, the obligation is extinguished. Section 656 paragraph two, the particular rule for loans, provides that where a lender accepts goods or other property in place of the money lent, the obligation so discharged is reckoned at the market price of that property at the time and place of delivery. Both turn on the creditor or lender having agreed. Accepting goods or other property instead of the money lent is the lender's right alone, to give or to withhold, so a term in a loan agreement that flatly forbids substituted performance is valid and is not void. The section requires the creditor's acceptance; it imposes no requirement that the acceptance be express as distinct from given.
The question was whether an obligation under a loan had been extinguished by a performance other than payment of the money lent. The Supreme Court read section 321 paragraph one together with section 656 paragraph two and held that the essential element of both is that the creditor, or the lender, has agreed. Whether to accept goods or other property in place of the money lent is a right belonging to the lender alone, to give or to withhold, and a clause in the loan agreement prohibiting substituted performance is valid and not void. The Court did not require the acceptance to be express as opposed to given.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Cited in 92 Supreme Court decisions (1943 to 2024)
Décisions de citation sélectionnées
- Decision 6964/2567 (2024)
- Decision 2960/2566 (2023)
- Decision 3096/2565 (2022)
- Decision 13678/2558 (2015)
- Decision 18801/2557 (2014)
- Decision 10227/2551 (2008)
- Decision 6823/2551 (2008)
- Decision 4895/2551 (2008)
Cette liste est sélectionnée automatiquement, en privilégiant les jugements qui reposent sur cet article plutôt que sur ceux qui se contentent de le citer lors du prononcé de la peine. Elle n'a pas encore été examinée par le cabinet.
Le plus souvent cité aux côtés de
- Article 653 24
- Article 656 8
- Article 94 du CPC thaïlandais 6
- Article 315 4
- Article 349 4
- art. 249 du Code pénal thaïlandais 4
Sections qui apparaissent le plus souvent dans les mêmes jugements que celui-ci. Le chiffre correspond au nombre de décisions.
Calculé sur l'ensemble du corpus de 83 652 décisions de la Cour suprême du cabinet, de 1921 à 2026. Le décompte est exhaustif ; la plage d'années indiquée élimine les valeurs aberrantes rares afin de refléter la répartition réelle des citations. Ces chiffres sont calculés par nos soins et ne constituent pas des statistiques officielles de la Cour. Comment nous les comptons et ce que nous avons mesuré
Citer cette section
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Citation simple
Civil and Commercial Code, s. 321 (Thailand) -
Citation académique
Civil and Commercial Code (Thailand), s. 321. ThaiLawOnline, https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-civil-code/section-321/ (accessed 30 août 2026). -
Citation thaïlandaise
ป.พ.พ. มาตรา 321 -
Lien permanent
https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-civil-code/section-321/ -
Intégrer sur votre site
<blockquote cite="https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-civil-code/section-321/"><p>An obligation is extinguished if the creditor accepts in lieu of performance another performance than agreed upon. If the debtor, for the purpose of satisfying the creditor, assumes a new obligation towards him, is not to be presumed, in case of doubt, that he assumes…</p><footer>Civil and Commercial Code, s. 321 (Thailand): <a href="https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-civil-code/section-321/">ThaiLawOnline</a></footer></blockquote>
The Thai text is authoritative. The English is an unofficial translation by ThaiLawOnline, free to reuse with attribution.