Section 311: Causing deprivation of liberty by negligence
Statutory text (Thai original)
ผู้ใดกระทำโดยประมาท และการกระทำนั้นเป็นเหตุให้ผู้อื่นถูกหน่วงเหนี่ยว ถูกกักขัง หรือต้องปราศจากเสรีภาพในร่างกาย ต้องระวางโทษจำคุกไม่เกินหนึ่งปี หรือปรับไม่เกินสองหมื่นบาท หรือทั้งจำทั้งปรับ ถ้าการกระทำความผิดตามวรรคแรก เป็นเหตุให้ผู้ถูกหน่วงเหนี่ยวถูกกักขัง หรือต้องปราศจากเสรีภาพในร่างกายนั้นถึงแก่ความตายหรือรับอันตรายสาหัส ผู้กระทำต้องระวางโทษดังที่บัญญัติไว้ในมาตรา ๒๙๑ หรือมาตรา ๓๐๐ หมายเหตุ: [อัตราโทษ แก้ไขเพิ่มเติมโดยมาตรา ๔ แห่งพระราชบัญญัติแก้ไขเพิ่มเติมประมวลกฎหมายอาญา (ฉบับที่ ๒๖) พ.ศ. ๒๕๖๐]
English translation
Whoever acts negligently and that act causes another person to be detained, confined or deprived of liberty of the body, 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 causes the person detained, confined or deprived of liberty to die or to suffer grievous bodily harm, the offender shall be liable to the punishment provided in Section 291 or Section 300.
ThaiLawOnline translation, written from the Thai original and verified
Firm annotation
Section 311 is the negligence counterpart to Section 310, not an aggravated form of it. Where Section 310 punishes a person who intentionally detains or confines another, Section 311 applies where the offender acts negligently and that negligence causes another person to be detained, confined or otherwise deprived of liberty of the body. The penalty in paragraph one is imprisonment not exceeding one year, or a fine not exceeding twenty thousand baht, or both, which is materially lower than the intentional offence. Paragraph two is result-aggravated: where the deprivation of liberty causes death or grievous bodily harm, the offender is punished as provided in Section 291 (negligence causing death, imprisonment not exceeding ten years and a fine not exceeding two hundred thousand baht) or Section 300 (negligence causing grievous bodily harm, imprisonment not exceeding three years, or a fine not exceeding sixty thousand baht, or both). Paragraph one is compoundable under Section 321, so a valid settlement by the injured person extinguishes the right to prosecute; paragraph two is not.
Why this matters in practice
The distinction that matters is intent. A charge under Section 310 requires an intentional detention; Section 311 catches the person whose carelessness produces the same result, and it does so at a much lower penalty, up to one year or a 20,000 baht fine, or both. Typical fact patterns are locking a building or a vehicle without checking that it is empty, or a security or transport failure that leaves someone shut in. The exposure changes character if the confinement causes grievous bodily harm or death, because paragraph two then imports the penalties of Section 300 or Section 291, and Section 291 reaches ten years with a fine alongside it. Paragraph one is compoundable under Section 321, so a settlement with the injured person can end that case, but the aggravated paragraph is not. Anyone charged, or a family pursuing a complaint where confinement led to serious injury, should seek early online consultation with a Thai lawyer to assess which paragraph the facts support.
Cited in 6 Supreme Court decisions (1959 to 1989)
Selected citing decisions
- Decision 3305/2530 (1987)
- Decision 2115/2523 (1980)
- Decision 893/2515 (1972)
- Decision 582/2532 (1989)
- Decision 39/2508 (1965)
- Decision 804/2502 (1959)
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.
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Frequently asked questions
When does Section 311 apply instead of Section 310?
When the deprivation of liberty was caused by negligence rather than intention. Section 310 punishes intentional detention or confinement; Section 311 applies where a negligent act causes another person to be detained, confined or deprived of liberty, and carries a much lower penalty of up to one year, or a fine of up to 20,000 baht, or both.
Is the offence under Section 311 compoundable?
Paragraph one is. Section 321 makes Section 311 paragraph one compoundable, alongside Section 309 paragraph one and Section 310 paragraph one, so a valid settlement by the injured person extinguishes the right to prosecute. Paragraph two, which applies where the deprivation of liberty causes death or grievous bodily harm, is not compoundable.
Related guides on ThaiLawOnline
Cite this section
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Plain citation
Penal Code, s. 311 (Thailand) -
Academic citation
Penal Code (Thailand), s. 311. ThaiLawOnline, https://www.thailawonline.com/thai-penal-code/section-311/ (accessed 20 August 2026). -
Thai citation
ป.อ. มาตรา 311 -
Permalink
https://www.thailawonline.com/thai-penal-code/section-311/ -
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<blockquote cite="https://www.thailawonline.com/thai-penal-code/section-311/"><p>Whoever acts negligently and that act causes another person to be detained, confined or deprived of liberty of the body, 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…</p><footer>Penal Code, s. 311 (Thailand) — <a href="https://www.thailawonline.com/thai-penal-code/section-311/">ThaiLawOnline</a></footer></blockquote>
The Thai text is authoritative. The English is an unofficial translation by ThaiLawOnline, free to reuse with attribution.