Article 375: Obstructing a public drain or sewer
Statutory text (Thai original)
ผู้ใดทำให้รางระบายน้ำ ร่องน้ำหรือท่อระบายของโสโครก อันเป็นสิ่งสาธารณะเกิดขัดข้องหรือไม่สะดวก ต้องระวางโทษปรับไม่เกินห้าพันบาท หมายเหตุ: [อัตราโทษ แก้ไขเพิ่มเติมโดยมาตรา ๖ แห่งพระราชบัญญัติแก้ไขเพิ่มเติมประมวลกฎหมายอาญา (ฉบับที่ ๒๒) พ.ศ. ๒๕๕๘]
English translation
Whoever causes a public drain, watercourse or sewer to become obstructed or inconvenient shall be liable to a fine not exceeding five thousand baht.
ThaiLawOnline translation, written from the Thai original and verified
Firm annotation
The elements are (1) an act by any means, (2) directed at a drain, watercourse or sewer, (3) which is a public thing, and (4) causing it to become obstructed or inconvenient to use. The provision protects public drainage infrastructure rather than any individual's property, so there need be no private complainant and no proof of damage; it is enough that the public facility is put out of proper working order. The penalty is a fine only, not exceeding 5,000 baht, so no custodial sentence is available. Conduct of this kind will often also engage the Public Health Act B.E. 2535 and local sanitation regulations, which are separate statutes with their own penalties.
Why this matters in practice
The exposure is a fine of up to 5,000 baht and nothing more, so the practical significance of Section 375 is rarely the penalty itself. It matters because building work, drain covers, waste dumping and site runoff that block a public drain can attract a criminal charge on top of municipal enforcement, and because the same facts usually engage the Public Health Act B.E. 2535 and local sanitation rules, which carry heavier consequences including orders to clear the obstruction at the offender's cost. Anyone facing a complaint should establish whether the drain in question is genuinely a public thing, because a drain lying wholly within private land falls outside this section.
Cited in 3 Supreme Court decisions (1962 to 1971)
Décisions de citation sélectionnées
- Decision 1502/2514 (1971)
- Decision 729/2506 (1963)
- Decision 1020-1021/2505 (1962)
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
What does Section 375 of the Thai Penal Code punish?
Causing a public drain, watercourse or sewer to become obstructed or inconvenient to use. It is a petty offence carrying a fine of up to 5,000 baht, with no imprisonment.
Does Section 375 apply to a drain on private land?
No. The drain, watercourse or sewer must be a public thing. A drainage channel lying wholly within private land falls outside this section, although the Public Health Act B.E. 2535 and local sanitation rules may still apply.
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Citer cette section
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Citation simple
Penal Code, s. 375 (Thailand) -
Citation académique
Penal Code (Thailand), s. 375. ThaiLawOnline, https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-375/ (accessed 30 août 2026). -
Citation thaïlandaise
ป.อ. มาตรา 375 -
Lien permanent
https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-375/ -
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<blockquote cite="https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-375/"><p>Whoever causes a public drain, watercourse or sewer to become obstructed or inconvenient shall be liable to a fine not exceeding five thousand baht.</p><footer>Penal Code, s. 375 (Thailand): <a href="https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-375/">ThaiLawOnline</a></footer></blockquote>
The Thai text is authoritative. The English is an unofficial translation by ThaiLawOnline, free to reuse with attribution.