Section 112: Lese-majeste: defaming the monarch
Statutory text (Thai original)
ผู้ใดหมิ่นประมาท ดูหมิ่น หรือแสดงความอาฆาตมาดร้ายพระมหากษัตริย์ พระราชินี รัชทายาท หรือผู้สำเร็จราชการแทนพระองค์ ต้องระวางโทษจำคุกตั้งแต่สามปีถึงสิบห้าปี
English translation
Whoever defames, insults or expresses malice against the King, the Queen, the Heir-apparent or the Regent shall be punished with imprisonment of three to fifteen years.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified. Always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 112, commonly known as the lese-majeste provision, sits within the title on offences against the King, Queen, Heir-apparent and Regent. Unlike Sections 107 to 111, which address physical acts of violence, this section targets expression: defamation (หมิ่นประมาท), insult (ดูหมิ่น) or the expression of malice (อาฆาตมาดร้าย) toward the protected persons. It is structurally similar to ordinary criminal defamation in Sections 326 and 328 but is a distinct, more serious offence with a fixed penalty range of three to fifteen years and no fine alternative. In practice charges are frequently brought together with the Computer Crime Act where the expression is published online.
Why this matters in practice
The penalty exposure is high: three to fifteen years of imprisonment per count, with no fine option, and there is no petty-offence style relief. Where the expression is posted online, a separate charge under the Computer Crime Act often runs alongside, increasing exposure. Because this is a security-of-the-Kingdom offence prosecuted by the State, the practical questions turn on whether the words in fact defame, insult or express malice toward a protected person, and it differs from ordinary criminal defamation in Thailand. Anyone facing such an allegation should obtain specialist criminal counsel immediately.
Supreme Court decisions interpreting this section
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 8827/2559 (2016)
Repeating to a crowd that another speaker has defamed or insulted the King and Queen, in order to call on the authorities to prosecute that speaker, is not an offence under Section 112. Such a person adds nothing to the meaning of what the other speaker said, and acts with the intent of protecting the monarchy, which the Constitution makes the duty of every Thai.
The court of first instance dismissed the charge, the Court of Appeal reversed and imposed three years' imprisonment, and the Supreme Court reversed again and acquitted. The defendant had told a rally that another speaker's words defamed or insulted the King and Queen, adding nothing to what that speaker had said, and did so to call for that speaker to be prosecuted. He acted to protect the monarchy, a duty of every Thai under section 70 of the Constitution B.E. 2550, so his conduct was not an offence under Section 112.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Cited in 8 Supreme Court decisions (1960 to 2023)
Selected citing decisions
- Decision 8827/2559 (2016)
- Decision 1556/2544 (2001)
- Decision 2354/2531 (1988)
- Decision 861/2521 (1978)
- Decision 1137/2566 (2023)
- Decision 1294/2521 (1978)
- Decision 51/2503 (1960)
- Decision 5161/2566 (2023)
This list is selected automatically, weighted towards judgments that turn on this section rather than ones that merely recite it when passing sentence. It has not yet been reviewed by the firm.
Most often cited alongside
Sections that appear in the same judgments as this one most often. The figure is the number of decisions.
Counted across the firm's corpus of 83,652 Supreme Court decisions, 1921 to 2026. The count is complete; the stated year range trims rare outliers so it describes where the citations actually sit. These figures are computed by us and are not official court statistics. How we count these, and what we measured
Frequently asked questions
What is Section 112 of the Thai Penal Code?
It is the lese-majeste provision, punishing defamation, insult or the expression of malice against the King, Queen, Heir-apparent or Regent with imprisonment of three to fifteen years.
How is Section 112 different from ordinary defamation?
Ordinary criminal defamation under Sections 326 and 328 protects private persons and allows a fine, while Section 112 protects specific royal figures and carries a fixed three-to-fifteen-year prison term with no fine alternative.
Can Section 112 apply to online posts?
Yes. When the expression is published online, charges under Section 112 are often brought together with the Computer Crime Act, which can add to the penalty exposure.
Related guides on ThaiLawOnline
Cite this section
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Plain citation
Penal Code, s. 112 (Thailand) -
Academic citation
Penal Code (Thailand), s. 112. ThaiLawOnline, https://www.thailawonline.com/thai-penal-code/section-112/ (accessed 17 August 2026). -
Thai citation
ป.อ. มาตรา 112 -
Permalink
https://www.thailawonline.com/thai-penal-code/section-112/ -
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<blockquote cite="https://www.thailawonline.com/thai-penal-code/section-112/"><p>Whoever defames, insults or expresses malice against the King, the Queen, the Heir-apparent or the Regent shall be punished with imprisonment of three to fifteen years.</p><footer>Penal Code, s. 112 (Thailand) — <a href="https://www.thailawonline.com/thai-penal-code/section-112/">ThaiLawOnline</a></footer></blockquote>
The Thai text is authoritative. The English is an unofficial translation by ThaiLawOnline, free to reuse with attribution.