Article 130: Assault on a foreign head of state
Statutory text (Thai original)
ผู้ใดทำร้ายร่างกายหรือประทุษร้ายต่อเสรีภาพของราชาธิบดี ราชินี ราชสามี รัชทายาทหรือประมุขแห่งรัฐต่างประเทศ ซึ่งมีสัมพันธไมตรี ต้องระวางโทษจำคุกตั้งแต่หนึ่งปีถึงสิบห้าปี ผู้ใดพยายามกระทำการเช่นว่านั้น ต้องระวางโทษเช่นเดียวกัน
English translation
Whoever commits an act of violence against the body, or against the liberty, of the King, the Queen, the Royal Consort, the Heir Apparent or the Head of a foreign State having friendly relations, shall be liable to imprisonment from one year to fifteen years. Whoever attempts to commit such an act shall be liable to the same punishment.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified. Always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 130 opens the chapter on offences against friendly relations with foreign States. Its elements are an act of violence against the body, or against the liberty, of a protected person: the King, the Queen, the Royal Consort, the Heir Apparent or the Head of a foreign State with which Thailand has friendly relations. That status is what lifts the conduct out of the ordinary offences against the person and into this chapter. The section fixes one range, imprisonment from one to fifteen years, and does not grade the penalty according to the harm caused. An attempt is punished as if the act had been completed, which displaces the two thirds reduction that Section 80 gives an attempt. Where the act is a killing or an attempted killing of the same protected person, the offence is Section 132, which carries death or imprisonment for life; where the victim is a representative of a foreign State accredited to the Royal Court, it is Section 131.
Why this matters in practice
Exposure is one to fifteen years whatever degree of injury results, so the grading questions that dominate an ordinary assault case do not arise here. What has to be established is the protected status of the victim and that the act was violence against the body or against the liberty. An attempt is punished as the completed offence, so the usual reduction for an attempt does not apply. If the conduct is a killing or an attempted killing, the charge is Section 132 and not this section. The offence is not compoundable, because what it protects is Thailand's relations with a friendly State rather than a private interest; see criminal law in Thailand.
Foire aux questions
Qui est protégé par l'article 130 ?
The King, the Queen, the Royal Consort, the Heir Apparent or the Head of a foreign State having friendly relations with Thailand. It is that status which brings an act of violence against the person's body or liberty within this section.
What is the penalty under Section 130?
Imprisonment from one to fifteen years. The section states a single range and does not raise it according to the injury caused, and an attempt is punished in the same way as the completed act.
What if the protected person is killed?
Killing or attempting to kill a person protected by Section 130 is an offence under Section 132, which carries the death penalty or imprisonment for life.
Guides connexes sur ThaiLawOnline
Citer cette section
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Citation simple
Penal Code, s. 130 (Thailand) -
Citation académique
Penal Code (Thailand), s. 130. ThaiLawOnline, https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-130/ (accessed 30 août 2026). -
Citation thaïlandaise
ป.อ. มาตรา 130 -
Lien permanent
https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-130/ -
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<blockquote cite="https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-130/"><p>Whoever commits an act of violence against the body, or against the liberty, of the King, the Queen, the Royal Consort, the Heir Apparent or the Head of a foreign State having friendly relations, shall be liable to imprisonment from one year to fifteen years.…</p><footer>Penal Code, s. 130 (Thailand): <a href="https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-130/">ThaiLawOnline</a></footer></blockquote>
The Thai text is authoritative. The English is an unofficial translation by ThaiLawOnline, free to reuse with attribution.