มาตรา 164 — Duress as a ground for voidance
Statutory text (Thai original)
การแสดงเจตนาเพราะถูกข่มขู่เป็นโมฆียะการข่มขู่ที่จะทำให้การใดตกเป็นโมฆียะนั้น จะต้องเป็นการข่มขู่ที่จะให้เกิดภัยอันใกล้จะถึงและร้ายแรงถึงขนาดที่จะจูงใจให้ผู้ถูกข่มขู่มีมูลต้องกลัว ซึ่งถ้ามิได้มีการข่มขู่เช่นนั้น การนั้นก็คงจะมิได้กระทำขึ้น
Verbatim from the Royal Gazette / Office of the Council of State
คำแปลภาษาอังกฤษ
A declaration of intention is voidable if made under duress. feedback (/form/1-samuiforsale-contact-form.html?tmpl=component) / Duress, in order to make an act voidable, must be imminent and so severe that makes him fear and without it, the act would not have been made.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified — always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 164 is part of Book 1 (General Principles) of the Thai Civil and Commercial Code. This entry is awaiting firm-authored commentary; the statutory text above is verbatim from the Office of the Council of State (OCS Krisdika) Thai source, with the English translation from the FAO/UN FAOLEX repository. Always rely on the Thai original for legal proceedings.
Why this matters in practice
For lawyers: the party claiming duress must prove both imminence and severity of the threat, and that the threat actually induced the act. For laypersons: if you signed a contract because someone threatened serious and immediate harm, you may be able to have it set aside, but you must act promptly.
Legislative history
Part of the original Civil and Commercial Code codification; no major subsequent amendment.
Supreme Court decisions interpreting this section
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 9277/2547 (2004)
Where a dispute over trademark rights arose during the currency of the old CCC, the former ten-year general prescription under Section 164 governs.
The registration of a trademark by the defendant, which contested the plaintiffs' trademark rights under the Trademark Act B.E. 2474 then in force, was subject to the general ten-year prescription period under the former CCC Section 164, not the five-year period under the later Trademark Act B.E. 2534.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Frequently asked questions
What must be proven for duress to make a contract voidable under Section 164?
Three elements must be shown: (1) a threat was made, (2) the threat involved imminent and serious harm, and (3) the threat was severe enough to cause a reasonable person to fear and to act as a result. The threatened harm must not already be past.