Article 239: Negligent public danger offences
Statutory text (Thai original)
ถ้าการกระทำดังกล่าวในมาตรา ๒๒๖ ถึงมาตรา ๒๓๗ เป็นการกระทำโดยประมาท และใกล้จะเป็นอันตรายแก่ชีวิตของบุคคลอื่น ผู้กระทำต้องระวางโทษจำคุกไม่เกินหนึ่งปี หรือปรับไม่เกินสองหมื่นบาท หรือทั้งจำทั้งปรับ หมายเหตุ: [อัตราโทษ แก้ไขเพิ่มเติมโดยมาตรา ๔ แห่งพระราชบัญญัติแก้ไขเพิ่มเติมประมวลกฎหมายอาญา (ฉบับที่ ๒๖) พ.ศ. ๒๕๖๐]
English translation
If any of the acts referred to in Section 226 to Section 237 is done negligently and is likely to endanger the life of another person, the offender shall be liable to imprisonment not exceeding one year, or a fine not exceeding twenty thousand baht, or both.
ThaiLawOnline translation, written from the Thai original and verified
Firm annotation
This section is the negligent counterpart to the intentional public danger offences in Sections 226 to 237. It applies where the same dangerous result is brought about through negligence rather than intent, and it carries a far lighter penalty than the intentional versions. This section has a single paragraph and one penalty, up to one year or a fine of up to 20,000 baht or both; it contains no aggravated tier of its own where death results. The distinction between intent and negligence is decisive in practice, because where death results the intentional route leads to the severe penalties of Section 238, while the negligent route stays within this section. Negligently causing the death of another person is dealt with separately under Section 291.
Why this matters in practice
Whether conduct is charged as intentional, under Sections 226 to 238, or as negligent under this section is often the central issue, because the penalty gap is enormous. The intentional forms reach imprisonment for life under Section 238 where death results, while this section carries a maximum of one year, or a fine of up to 20,000 baht, or both, and has no separate tier for a fatal result at all. That makes the presence or absence of intent, rather than the seriousness of the consequence, the question that decides exposure, and it is why the negligence characterisation is worth contesting from the outset.
Décisions de la Cour suprême interprétant cette section
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Arrêt de la Cour suprême n° 153/2506 (1963)
Where death results from negligent conduct such as overloaded and speeding driving rather than an intentional public danger offence, the aggravated penalty in Section 238 cannot be applied, and the offender is punished under the negligence provisions.
The defendant drove a passenger vehicle overloaded beyond its registered limit and at excessive speed, causing death and injury. The Court held that Section 238 could not be applied because the conduct was negligent, and the defendant was dealt with under the negligence provisions instead.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Cited in 2 Supreme Court decisions (1963 to 1965)
Décisions de citation sélectionnées
- Decision 153/2506 (1963)
- Décision 34/2508 (1965)
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
Quelle est la différence entre l'article 238 et l'article 239 ?
Section 238 aggravates the intentional public danger offences where death results, carrying imprisonment for life, or five to twenty years and a fine from 100,000 to 400,000 baht. It provides no death penalty. Section 239 covers the same acts committed negligently and carries imprisonment not exceeding one year, or a fine not exceeding 20,000 baht, or both, with no separate tier where death results.
Guides connexes sur ThaiLawOnline
Citer cette section
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Citation simple
Penal Code, s. 239 (Thailand) -
Citation académique
Penal Code (Thailand), s. 239. ThaiLawOnline, https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-239/ (accessed 30 août 2026). -
Citation thaïlandaise
ป.อ. มาตรา 239 -
Lien permanent
https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-239/ -
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<blockquote cite="https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-239/"><p>If any of the acts referred to in Section 226 to Section 237 is done negligently and is likely to endanger the life of another person, the offender shall be liable to imprisonment not exceeding one year, or a fine not exceeding twenty thousand baht,…</p><footer>Penal Code, s. 239 (Thailand): <a href="https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-239/">ThaiLawOnline</a></footer></blockquote>
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