Article 228: Causing a flood or obstructing a public water supply
Statutory text (Thai original)
ผู้ใดกระทำด้วยประการใด ๆ เพื่อให้เกิดอุทกภัย หรือเพื่อให้เกิดขัดข้องแก่การใช้น้ำซึ่งเป็นสาธารณูปโภค ถ้าการกระทำนั้นน่าจะเป็นอันตรายแก่บุคคลอื่นหรือทรัพย์ของผู้อื่น ต้องระวางโทษจำคุกไม่เกินห้าปี หรือปรับไม่เกินหนึ่งแสนบาท หรือทั้งจำทั้งปรับ ถ้าการกระทำผิดดังกล่าวในวรรคแรกเป็นเหตุให้เกิดอันตรายแก่บุคคลอื่นหรือทรัพย์ของผู้อื่น ผู้กระทำต้องระวางโทษจำคุกตั้งแต่หกเดือนถึงเจ็ดปี และปรับตั้งแต่หนึ่งหมื่นบาทถึงหนึ่งแสนสี่หมื่นบาท หมายเหตุ: [อัตราโทษ แก้ไขเพิ่มเติมโดยมาตรา ๔ แห่งพระราชบัญญัติแก้ไขเพิ่มเติมประมวลกฎหมายอาญา (ฉบับที่ ๒๖) พ.ศ. ๒๕๖๐]
English translation
Whoever does anything in order to cause a flood, or to cause an obstruction to the use of water which is a public utility, shall, if the act is likely to be dangerous to another person or to the property of another, be liable to imprisonment not exceeding five years, or a fine not exceeding one hundred thousand baht, or both.
If the offence referred to in paragraph one causes danger to another person or to the property of another, the offender shall be liable to imprisonment from six months to seven years and a fine from ten thousand baht to one hundred and forty thousand baht.
ThaiLawOnline translation, written from the Thai original and verified
Firm annotation
The elements are (1) an act by any means, (2) done in order to cause a flood or to obstruct the use of water that is a public utility, and (3) the act being likely to endanger another person or another person's property. The purpose element matters: the section requires that the act be done in order to bring about the flood or the obstruction, so flooding caused accidentally or by negligence falls outside it. Paragraph one is satisfied by likely danger alone, and where danger to a person or to property actually results the penalty rises. This section is about water as a resource and a hazard. Interference with a lighthouse, buoy or other safety signal for land traffic, navigation or aviation is dealt with separately by Section 231, and putting a public way, floodgate, weir or dam into a condition likely to endanger traffic is Section 229.
Why this matters in practice
The purpose element is what most cases turn on. Section 228 requires that the act be done in order to cause a flood or to obstruct a public water supply, so a contractor whose works flood a neighbouring plot through carelessness is not caught by this section, and the dispute belongs in tort under Section 420 of the Civil and Commercial Code instead. Where the intent is present, exposure is serious and rises sharply once real danger results. The provision is often relevant to irrigation disputes, blocked canals and interference with a village water supply, and a complainant should preserve evidence of the deliberate act, such as a diverted channel or a closed sluice, rather than only the resulting damage.
Cited in 13 Supreme Court decisions (1961 to 2020)
Décisions de citation sélectionnées
- Decision 15843/2553 (2010)
- Decision 3509/2545 (2002)
- Decision 129/2532 (1989)
- Decision 4583/2531 (1988)
- Decision 1240/2504 (1961)
- Decision 1019/2504 (1961)
- Decision 5044/2532 (1989)
- Decision 5402/2530 (1987)
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 80 6
- Article 288 5
- Article 83 5
- Article 33 4
- Article 91 4
- Article 371 3
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
Foire aux questions
Que protège l'article 228 ?
The public water supply and the safety of people and property from deliberate flooding. It punishes doing anything in order to cause a flood, or to obstruct the use of water which is a public utility, where the act is likely to endanger another person or another person's property.
Does accidental flooding fall under Section 228?
No. The section requires that the act be done in order to cause the flood or the obstruction. Flooding caused by carelessness is not this offence, and the claim belongs in tort under Section 420 of the Civil and Commercial Code instead.
Quelle est la sanction prévue par l'article 228 ?
Imprisonment of up to five years, or a fine of up to 100,000 baht, or both. Where the act actually causes danger to a person or to property, the penalty rises to six months to seven years with a fine.
Guides connexes sur ThaiLawOnline
Citer cette section
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Citation simple
Penal Code, s. 228 (Thailand) -
Citation académique
Penal Code (Thailand), s. 228. ThaiLawOnline, https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-228/ (accessed 30 août 2026). -
Citation thaïlandaise
ป.อ. มาตรา 228 -
Lien permanent
https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-228/ -
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<blockquote cite="https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-228/"><p>Whoever does anything in order to cause a flood, or to cause an obstruction to the use of water which is a public utility, shall, if the act is likely to be dangerous to another person or to the property of another, be liable to…</p><footer>Penal Code, s. 228 (Thailand): <a href="https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-228/">ThaiLawOnline</a></footer></blockquote>
The Thai text is authoritative. The English is an unofficial translation by ThaiLawOnline, free to reuse with attribution.