Section 314: Supporting a kidnapping for ransom
Statutory text (Thai original)
ผู้ใดเป็นผู้สนับสนุนในการกระทำความผิดตามมาตรา ๓๑๓ ต้องระวางโทษเช่นเดียวกับตัวการในความผิดนั้น
English translation
Whoever is a supporter in the commission of an offence under Section 313 shall be liable to the same punishment as a principal in that offence.
ThaiLawOnline translation, written from the Thai original and verified
Firm annotation
Section 314 parallels Section 313 but is defined by the purpose of an indecent act rather than gratification of sexual desire through the victim. Its elements are: taking away, detaining, or confining the victim; by one of the listed coercive or deceptive means; for the purpose of an indecent act. The distinction from Section 313 lies in the intended purpose, indecency being a lesser sexual imposition than the desire-gratification aim of Section 313. Both sit in the Title on offences against liberty and share the same coercive-means requirement, which separates them from the consent-based provision in Section 315. Where the abduction is part of a course of conduct that also involves indecent assault or rape, the courts apply the single-act, most-severe-provision rule. Section 320 permits a reduced sentence where the offender voluntarily returns the victim unharmed before the trial court's judgment.
Why this matters in practice
Exposure is up to ten years plus a mandatory fine. As with Section 313, the contested elements are usually the coercive or deceptive means and the indecent purpose, so the defence may attack consent or the alleged intent. The offence is commonly charged alongside indecent-assault provisions arising from the same incident. Voluntary return of the victim unharmed before the trial court rules opens the door to a below-minimum sentence under Section 320, which is often the most valuable practical lever available to the accused. Anyone facing this charge should seek online consultation with a Thai lawyer before making statements.
Cited in 7 Supreme Court decisions (1960 to 1993)
Selected citing decisions
- Decision 465/2527 (1984)
- Decision 1508/2521 (1978)
- Decision 2209/2521 (1978)
- Decision 1302/2503 (1960)
- Decision 1283/2503 (1960)
- Decision 3997/2526 (1983)
- Decision 3432/2536 (1993)
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
- Section 313 5
- Section 83 4
- Section 310 3
- Section 316 3
- Section 319 3
Sections that appear in the same judgments as this one most often. The figure is the number of decisions.
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 does Section 314 differ from Section 313?
Both require coercive or deceptive means, but Section 314 is committed for the purpose of an indecent act, while Section 313 is committed to gratify sexual desire, which carries a heavier maximum penalty.
What is the penalty under Section 314?
Imprisonment from one to ten years together with a fine from 20,000 to 200,000 Baht. A voluntary safe return of the victim before judgment can reduce the sentence under Section 320.
Related guides on ThaiLawOnline
Cite this section
-
Plain citation
Penal Code, s. 314 (Thailand) -
Academic citation
Penal Code (Thailand), s. 314. ThaiLawOnline, https://www.thailawonline.com/thai-penal-code/section-314/ (accessed 17 August 2026). -
Thai citation
ป.อ. มาตรา 314 -
Permalink
https://www.thailawonline.com/thai-penal-code/section-314/ -
Embed on your site
<blockquote cite="https://www.thailawonline.com/thai-penal-code/section-314/"><p>Whoever is a supporter in the commission of an offence under Section 313 shall be liable to the same punishment as a principal in that offence.</p><footer>Penal Code, s. 314 (Thailand) — <a href="https://www.thailawonline.com/thai-penal-code/section-314/">ThaiLawOnline</a></footer></blockquote>
The Thai text is authoritative. The English is an unofficial translation by ThaiLawOnline, free to reuse with attribution.