Section 237: Poisoning food or water provided for the public
Statutory text (Thai original)
ผู้ใดเอาของที่มีพิษหรือสิ่งอื่นที่น่าจะเป็นอันตรายแก่สุขภาพเจือลงในอาหาร หรือในน้ำซึ่งอยู่ในบ่อ สระหรือที่ขังน้ำใด ๆ และอาหารหรือน้ำนั้นได้มีอยู่หรือจัดไว้เพื่อประชาชนบริโภค ต้องระวางโทษจำคุกตั้งแต่หกเดือนถึงสิบปี และปรับตั้งแต่หนึ่งหมื่นบาทถึงสองแสนบาท หมายเหตุ: [อัตราโทษ แก้ไขเพิ่มเติมโดยมาตรา ๔ แห่งพระราชบัญญัติแก้ไขเพิ่มเติมประมวลกฎหมายอาญา (ฉบับที่ ๒๖) พ.ศ. ๒๕๖๐]
English translation
Whoever mixes a poisonous substance, or any other thing likely to be dangerous to health, into food, or into water in a well, a pond, or any water container, where that food or water is present or has been provided for public consumption, shall be liable to imprisonment from six months to ten years and a fine from ten thousand baht to two hundred thousand baht.
ThaiLawOnline translation, written from the Thai original and verified
Firm annotation
The elements are introducing a poisonous substance into food, drinking water, or water for public use. Unlike Section 236, which requires only that harm be likely together with a purpose of sale, this section targets the direct poisoning of shared public supplies and carries a heavier, cumulative penalty of both imprisonment and a fine. It belongs to the public danger offences because the risk is to the community at large. Section 238 raises the penalty to as high as the death penalty or life imprisonment where a death results, and Section 239 covers the negligent form.
Why this matters in practice
This is a serious charge: the penalty combines imprisonment of six months to ten years with a mandatory fine, and the exposure rises sharply under Section 238 if anyone dies. The prosecution must prove the substance was poisonous and that it was introduced into a public food or water source. Because the community is the protected interest, this is not an offence the parties can simply settle privately. Early forensic evidence on the substance and the supply affected is usually decisive.
Cited in 1 Supreme Court decisions (1965 to 1965)
Selected citing decisions
- Decision 34/2508 (1965)
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.
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
How is Section 237 different from Section 236?
Section 236 covers adulterating goods for sale where health harm is likely, while Section 237 covers directly putting poison into the public's food or water and carries a heavier combined penalty.
What is the penalty for poisoning public water in Thailand?
Under Section 237, imprisonment from six months to ten years together with a fine from 10,000 to 200,000 baht, and more if a death results under Section 238.
Related guides on ThaiLawOnline
Cite this section
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Plain citation
Penal Code, s. 237 (Thailand) -
Academic citation
Penal Code (Thailand), s. 237. ThaiLawOnline, https://www.thailawonline.com/thai-penal-code/section-237/ (accessed 17 August 2026). -
Thai citation
ป.อ. มาตรา 237 -
Permalink
https://www.thailawonline.com/thai-penal-code/section-237/ -
Embed on your site
<blockquote cite="https://www.thailawonline.com/thai-penal-code/section-237/"><p>Whoever mixes a poisonous substance, or any other thing likely to be dangerous to health, into food, or into water in a well, a pond, or any water container, where that food or water is present or has been provided for public consumption, shall be…</p><footer>Penal Code, s. 237 (Thailand) — <a href="https://www.thailawonline.com/thai-penal-code/section-237/">ThaiLawOnline</a></footer></blockquote>
The Thai text is authoritative. The English is an unofficial translation by ThaiLawOnline, free to reuse with attribution.