Section 284/1: Sexual harassment
Statutory text (Thai original)
ผู้ใดคุกคามทางเพศต่อผู้อื่น ถ้าการกระทำนั้นไม่เป็นความผิดฐานอนาจาร ต้องระวางโทษจำคุกไม่เกินหนึ่งปี หรือปรับไม่เกินสองหมื่นบาท หรือทั้งจำทั้งปรับ
ถ้าการกระทำความผิดตามวรรคหนึ่งเป็นการกระทำอย่างต่อเนื่องหรือกระทำซ้ำมากกว่าหนึ่งครั้ง และเป็นเหตุให้ผู้อื่นไม่สามารถดำเนินชีวิตได้ตามปกติ ต้องระวางโทษจำคุกไม่เกินสองปี หรือปรับไม่เกินสี่หมื่นบาท หรือทั้งจำทั้งปรับ
ถ้าการกระทำความผิดตามวรรคหนึ่งหรือวรรคสองเป็นการกระทำในที่สาธารณสถาน ต่อหน้าธารกำนัล หรือในระบบคอมพิวเตอร์ที่ประชาชนทั่วไปเข้าถึงได้ ต้องระวางโทษจำคุกไม่เกินสามปี หรือปรับไม่เกินหกหมื่นบาท หรือทั้งจำทั้งปรับ
ถ้าการกระทำความผิดตามมาตรานี้เป็นการกระทำแก่เด็กอายุไม่เกินสิบห้าปี โดยเด็กนั้นจะยินยอมหรือไม่ก็ตาม ต้องระวางโทษจำคุกไม่เกินห้าปี หรือปรับไม่เกินหนึ่งแสนบาท หรือทั้งจำทั้งปรับ
ความผิดตามวรรคหนึ่ง วรรคสอง และวรรคสาม เป็นความผิดอันยอมความได้
Verbatim from the Royal Gazette / Office of the Council of State
English translation
Whoever sexually harasses another person, where the act does not constitute the offence of an indecent act, shall be liable to imprisonment not exceeding one year, or a fine not exceeding twenty thousand baht, or both.
Where the offence under paragraph one is committed continuously or is repeated more than once, and causes the other person to be unable to lead a normal life, the offender shall be liable to imprisonment not exceeding two years, or a fine not exceeding forty thousand baht, or both.
Where the offence under paragraph one or paragraph two is committed in a public place, in the presence of others, or in a computer system accessible to the general public, the offender shall be liable to imprisonment not exceeding three years, or a fine not exceeding sixty thousand baht, or both.
Where the offence under this Section is committed against a child not over fifteen years of age, whether or not the child consents, the offender shall be liable to imprisonment not exceeding five years, or a fine not exceeding one hundred thousand baht, or both.
The offences under paragraph one, paragraph two and paragraph three are compoundable offences.
ThaiLawOnline translation, written from the Thai original and verified
Firm annotation
Section 284/1 creates the offence of sexual harassment within the Title on Offences Relating to Sexuality. The text does not enumerate the means: it penalises whoever sexually harasses another person, and its only express limit is that the act must not constitute the offence of an indecent act, which places it below Sections 278 and 279 rather than overlapping them. Four tiers follow. Paragraph one is the base offence at up to one year, or a fine up to 20,000 baht, or both. Paragraph two raises it to two years or 40,000 baht where the conduct is continuous or repeated more than once and causes the other person to be unable to lead a normal life; both elements are required, so repetition alone is not enough. Paragraph three raises it to three years or 60,000 baht where the act is committed in a public place, in the presence of others, or in a computer system accessible to the general public. Paragraph four raises it to five years or 100,000 baht where the victim is a child not over fifteen years of age, and the child's consent is expressly irrelevant. The final paragraph makes the offences under paragraphs one, two and three compoundable; the child limb in paragraph four is not included.
Why this matters in practice
Which paragraph is charged decides everything, from the exposure to whether the case can be settled at all. Paragraphs one to three are compoundable, so a complaint can be withdrawn and the case ends; the child limb in paragraph four is not listed as compoundable and carries up to five years. Paragraph two needs both of its elements, conduct that is continuous or repeated and a person who cannot lead a normal life, and the second has to be proved rather than assumed. Paragraph three turns on a computer system accessible to the general public, which is a different question from a private message between two people. And because the section applies only where the act does not constitute an indecent act, the boundary with Section 278 is worth testing at the outset; see the firm's overview of criminal law in Thailand.
Frequently asked questions
What counts as sexual harassment under Section 284/1?
The section penalises whoever sexually harasses another person where the act does not constitute the offence of an indecent act. It does not list the means by which the harassment must be committed.
Is online sexual harassment punished more heavily?
Yes. Where the act is committed in a public place, in the presence of others, or in a computer system accessible to the general public, the penalty rises to imprisonment not exceeding three years, or a fine not exceeding 60,000 baht, or both.
What if the victim is a child?
Where the offence under this section is committed against a child not over fifteen years of age, whether or not the child consents, the penalty is imprisonment not exceeding five years, or a fine not exceeding 100,000 baht, or both.
Can a sexual harassment case be settled?
The offences under paragraphs one, two and three are compoundable, so the case ends if the complaint is withdrawn. The child limb in paragraph four is not included in that provision.
Cite this section
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Plain citation
Penal Code, s. 284/1 (Thailand) -
Academic citation
Penal Code (Thailand), s. 284/1. ThaiLawOnline, https://www.thailawonline.com/thai-penal-code/section-284-1/ (accessed 17 August 2026). -
Thai citation
ป.อ. มาตรา 284/1 -
Permalink
https://www.thailawonline.com/thai-penal-code/section-284-1/ -
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<blockquote cite="https://www.thailawonline.com/thai-penal-code/section-284-1/"><p>Whoever sexually harasses another person, where the act does not constitute the offence of an indecent act, shall be liable to imprisonment not exceeding one year, or a fine not exceeding twenty thousand baht, or both. Where the offence under paragraph one is committed continuously…</p><footer>Penal Code, s. 284/1 (Thailand) — <a href="https://www.thailawonline.com/thai-penal-code/section-284-1/">ThaiLawOnline</a></footer></blockquote>
The Thai text is authoritative. The English is an unofficial translation by ThaiLawOnline, free to reuse with attribution.