Section 125 — Disclosing national security secrets
English translation
Whoever commits any act to cause any statement, document or article kept secret for the safety of the country to become known to a person who should not have knowledge thereof shall be liable to imprisonment of one to ten 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 125 is the disclosure counterpart to Section 124's acquisition offence, within the external-security chapter. Its elements are an act that causes a national security secret to become known, and that the recipient is a person who should not have knowledge of it. Where Section 124 targets obtaining a secret, Section 125 targets its onward exposure, and the two often arise on the same facts. The penalty of one to ten years increases under Section 126 when the disclosure is for the benefit of a foreign state and under Section 128 when committed during hostilities or war.
Why this matters in practice
The defence usually turns on whether the material was truly a secret kept for the safety of the country and whether the recipient was genuinely a person who should not have known it. Exposure runs from one to ten years, rising if a foreign-state benefit under Section 126 or a wartime setting under Section 128 is shown, and the offence is not compoundable. Careful classification of the information is often decisive; see criminal law in Thailand.
Frequently asked questions
How does Section 125 differ from Section 124?
Section 124 punishes acts to obtain a national security secret, while Section 125 punishes causing that secret to become known to a person who should not know it.
Can the penalty be higher than ten years?
Yes. Under Section 126 the penalty rises when the act is for the benefit of a foreign state, and under Section 128 it rises to death or life imprisonment if committed during hostilities or war.