Section 129 — Sabotage of war or defence assets
English translation
Whoever destroys, depreciates the value of, or damages property or any other thing used or to be used for war or national defence shall be liable to imprisonment of five to fifteen years. If such offence is committed during a time of hostilities or war, the offender shall be liable to death or imprisonment for life.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified — always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 129 is a sabotage offence in the external-security chapter. Its first paragraph has three overlapping forms of conduct, destroying, depreciating the value of, or damaging, applied to property or any other thing used or to be used for war or national defence; the defence-related character of the object is the element that distinguishes it from ordinary criminal damage. The second paragraph is an internal aggravation raising the penalty to death or life imprisonment when the act occurs during hostilities or war. The base range of five to fifteen years already marks this as a serious security offence rather than a property crime.
Why this matters in practice
The pivotal element is that the object was used or to be used for war or national defence, which separates this from ordinary property damage carrying much lower penalties. Exposure is five to fifteen years, and death or life imprisonment if the act was in wartime; the offence is not compoundable. The defence often disputes the defence-use character of the object or the wartime setting. See criminal law in Thailand for an overview.
Frequently asked questions
How is Section 129 different from ordinary criminal damage?
The property or thing must be used or to be used for war or national defence. That defence-related character makes it a security offence with far heavier penalties than ordinary property damage.
Does the penalty change in wartime?
Yes. The base penalty is five to fifteen years, but if the act is committed during hostilities or war, the penalty rises to death or imprisonment for life.