Article 334: Theft of property
Statutory text (Thai original)
ผู้ใดเอาทรัพย์ของผู้อื่น หรือที่ผู้อื่นเป็นเจ้าของรวมอยู่ด้วยไปโดยทุจริต ผู้นั้นกระทำความผิดฐานลักทรัพย์ ต้องระวางโทษจำคุกไม่เกินสามปี และปรับไม่เกินหกหมื่นบาท หมายเหตุ: [อัตราโทษ แก้ไขเพิ่มเติมโดยมาตรา ๔ แห่งพระราชบัญญัติแก้ไขเพิ่มเติมประมวลกฎหมายอาญา (ฉบับที่ ๒๖) พ.ศ. ๒๕๖๐]
English translation
Whoever dishonestly takes away property belonging to another person, or belonging to another person jointly, commits the offence of theft and shall be liable to imprisonment not exceeding three years and a fine not exceeding sixty thousand baht.
ThaiLawOnline translation, written from the Thai original and verified
Firm annotation
Section 334 is the base offence of theft and the foundation of the chapter on theft and snatching. Its elements are: taking away property; the property belongs to another or is co-owned by another; and the taking is done dishonestly. The dishonest intent is central and distinguishes theft from borrowing or an honest mistake as to ownership, and the co-ownership clause makes clear that taking jointly owned property can be theft. Theft is completed by the taking away with dishonest intent. This base offence is aggravated by the circumstances listed in Section 335 (for example, at night, with a weapon, or by two or more persons together) and by the use of a vehicle under Section 336 bis, and it is distinct from snatching in Section 336, which requires taking openly in the victim's presence.
Why this matters in practice
Theft is not a compoundable offence in the ordinary case, so returning the property or paying compensation does not by itself end the criminal case, though it is a strong mitigating factor and courts often reduce sentences where the accused confesses and makes good the loss. Section 71 is the exception, and it matters in family cases: theft by a husband against his wife or by a wife against her husband is not punishable at all, and theft between an ascendant and a descendant, or between a brother and sister of the same parents, is a compoundable offence in which the court may in addition reduce the punishment to any extent. Penalty exposure is up to three years, but rises sharply if aggravating circumstances under Section 335 or the use of a vehicle under Section 336 bis are proved, so identifying which section is charged is critical. Common defences focus on the absence of dishonest intent, a genuine claim of right, or a lawful basis for taking. The victim may claim restitution or the value of the property alongside the criminal case.
Décisions de la Cour suprême interprétant cette section
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Arrêt de la Cour suprême n° 3672/2568 (2025)
Under section 192 paragraph three of the Criminal Procedure Code the difference between theft and embezzlement is not a material difference, and what is proved is not treated as beyond the charge, unless the mistake in the charge misled the defendant in his defence. So where the charge is theft under Section 334 with Section 336 bis and the evidence establishes embezzlement, the court may convict of embezzlement.
The charge was that the defendant stole cash from the injured person on five occasions, 9,804,760 baht in all, using a motorcycle to facilitate the offence. The evidence showed the injured person had transferred the money into the accounts of the defendant and four others, who withdrew it and handed it to the defendant, and that he did not pass it on. The Supreme Court upheld the Court of Appeal's conviction for embezzlement under Section 352 paragraph one, two years after reduction: the difference from the charge was not material, the defendant had not been misled in his defence, and the theft provisions did not apply.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Cited in 395 Supreme Court decisions (1963 to 2026)
Décisions de citation sélectionnées
- Decision 3672/2568 (2025)
- Decision 4925/2566 (2023)
- Decision 1230/2566 (2023)
- Decision 2253/2563 (2020)
- Decision 1473/2563 (2020)
- Decision 8343/2561 (2018)
- Decision 7289/2558 (2015)
- Decision 6642/2558 (2015)
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 335 254
- Article 78 188
- Article 83 156
- Article 91 123
- Article 357 105
- Art. 225 du Code de procédure pénale thaïlandais 72
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
Quelle est la peine encourue pour vol en Thaïlande ?
Le vol simple, au sens de l'article 334, est passible d'une peine d'emprisonnement pouvant aller jusqu'à trois ans et d'une amende pouvant atteindre 60 000 bahts. La peine est plus lourde en cas de circonstances aggravantes (article 335) ou de vol impliquant un véhicule (article 336 bis).
La restitution des biens volés met-elle fin à une affaire de vol ?
Not in the ordinary case. Theft is not a compoundable offence, so returning the property does not stop the prosecution, though it is a significant mitigating factor that often reduces the sentence. Section 71 is the exception where the parties are family: theft by a husband against his wife or by a wife against her husband is not punishable at all, and theft between an ascendant and a descendant or between a brother and sister of the same parents is compoundable, so there a settlement and withdrawal of the complaint does end the case.
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Citer cette section
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Citation simple
Penal Code, s. 334 (Thailand) -
Citation académique
Penal Code (Thailand), s. 334. ThaiLawOnline, https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-334/ (accessed 30 août 2026). -
Citation thaïlandaise
ป.อ. มาตรา 334 -
Lien permanent
https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-334/ -
Intégrer sur votre site
<blockquote cite="https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-334/"><p>Whoever dishonestly takes away property belonging to another person, or belonging to another person jointly, commits the offence of theft and shall be liable to imprisonment not exceeding three years and a fine not exceeding sixty thousand baht.</p><footer>Penal Code, s. 334 (Thailand): <a href="https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-334/">ThaiLawOnline</a></footer></blockquote>
The Thai text is authoritative. The English is an unofficial translation by ThaiLawOnline, free to reuse with attribution.