Article 168: Disobeying summons to give statement
Statutory text (Thai original)
ผู้ใดขัดขืนคำบังคับตามกฎหมายของพนักงานอัยการ ผู้ว่าคดีหรือพนักงานสอบสวน ซึ่งให้มาเพื่อให้ถ้อยคำ ต้องระวางโทษจำคุกไม่เกินสามเดือน หรือปรับไม่เกินห้าพันบาท หรือทั้งจำทั้งปรับ หมายเหตุ: [อัตราโทษ แก้ไขเพิ่มเติมโดยมาตรา ๔ แห่งพระราชบัญญัติแก้ไขเพิ่มเติมประมวลกฎหมายอาญา (ฉบับที่ ๒๖) พ.ศ. ๒๕๖๐]
English translation
Whoever disobeys a lawful order of a public prosecutor, a case prosecutor or an inquiry official requiring them to appear to give a statement shall be liable to imprisonment not exceeding three months, or a fine not exceeding five thousand baht, or both.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified. Always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 168 is a minor offence protecting the fact-gathering function of prosecutors and inquiry officials. Its elements are: (1) a lawful order of a public prosecutor, case prosecutor or inquiry official; (2) requiring the person to appear to give a statement; and (3) disobedience of that order. A key limit, recognised by the Supreme Court, is that the order must be a genuine "lawful order": because the Criminal Procedure Code forbids compelling a suspect to give a statement and bars inducement or threats, a summons directed at a suspect to come and give a statement is not a lawful order within Section 168, and the remedy for a non-appearing suspect is an arrest warrant, not this offence. It is therefore aimed primarily at witnesses and other persons, not at suspects asserting their right to silence.
Why this matters in practice
This is a low-level offence, three months at most, and it is often the only leverage a prosecutor or inquiry official has against a reluctant witness. The most important practical point is the suspect-versus-witness distinction: a suspect who declines to attend and give a statement is not committing this offence, because a suspect cannot be compelled to speak and the proper response is an arrest warrant under the Criminal Procedure Code. A witness genuinely summoned, by contrast, risks liability if they disobey without lawful excuse. If you have received a summons and are unsure whether you are being treated as a witness or a suspect, consult a Thai lawyer before responding.
Décisions de la Cour suprême interprétant cette section
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Arrêt de la Cour suprême n° 1341/2509 (1966)
A summons requiring a suspect to appear and give a statement is not a lawful order within Section 168, because the Criminal Procedure Code prohibits compelling a suspect to give a statement and bars inducement or threats; the remedy for a suspect who fails to appear is an arrest warrant, and Section 168 was not intended to apply to a suspect refusing to attend before the inquiry official.
Decided in general assembly, the Court held that because a suspect cannot be compelled to give a statement under the Criminal Procedure Code, a summons to a suspect is not a lawful order for the purposes of Section 168. Where a suspect fails to appear, the code already provides an arrest warrant as the remedy, so Section 168 does not reach a suspect who declines to attend.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Cité dans 1 décision de la Cour suprême (1966 à 1966)
Décisions de citation sélectionnées
- Decision 1341/2509 (1966)
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.
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
Foire aux questions
Un suspect commet-il une infraction en refusant de faire une déclaration ?
No. The Supreme Court has held that a summons requiring a suspect to give a statement is not a lawful order under Section 168, because a suspect cannot be compelled to speak. The remedy for non-appearance is an arrest warrant, not this offence. That is Supreme Court Decision 1341/2509, a Grand Bench ruling, which reasons from Sections 134 and 135 of the Criminal Procedure Code, under which a suspect need not answer and may not be induced or threatened into answering, and points to Section 66(3) of that Code as the remedy.
Quelle est la sanction prévue par l'article 168 ?
Une peine d'emprisonnement n'excédant pas trois mois, ou une amende n'excédant pas 5 000 bahts, ou les deux.
Guides connexes sur ThaiLawOnline
Citer cette section
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Citation simple
Penal Code, s. 168 (Thailand) -
Citation académique
Penal Code (Thailand), s. 168. ThaiLawOnline, https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-168/ (accessed 30 août 2026). -
Citation thaïlandaise
ป.อ. มาตรา 168 -
Lien permanent
https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-168/ -
Intégrer sur votre site
<blockquote cite="https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-168/"><p>Quiconque désobéit à un ordre légitime d'un procureur, d'un procureur chargé de l'affaire ou d'un enquêteur lui enjoignant de comparaître pour faire une déclaration est passible d'une peine d'emprisonnement n'excédant pas trois mois, ou d'une amende n'excédant pas cinq mille bahts, ou des deux.</p><footer>Penal Code, s. 168 (Thailand): <a href="https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-168/">ThaiLawOnline</a></footer></blockquote>
The Thai text is authoritative. The English is an unofficial translation by ThaiLawOnline, free to reuse with attribution.