Section 378: Drunk and disorderly in a public place
Statutory text (Thai original)
ผู้ใดเสพสุราหรือของเมาอย่างอื่น จนเป็นเหตุให้ตนเมา ประพฤติวุ่นวายหรือครองสติไม่ได้ขณะอยู่ในถนนสาธารณะ หรือสาธารณสถาน ต้องระวางโทษปรับไม่เกินห้าพันบาท หมายเหตุ: [อัตราโทษ แก้ไขเพิ่มเติมโดยมาตรา ๖ แห่งพระราชบัญญัติแก้ไขเพิ่มเติมประมวลกฎหมายอาญา (ฉบับที่ ๒๒) พ.ศ. ๒๕๕๘]
English translation
Whoever consumes liquor or another intoxicant so as to become intoxicated and behaves in a disorderly manner, or is unable to control himself, while on a public road or in a public place, shall be liable to a fine not exceeding five thousand baht.
ThaiLawOnline translation, written from the Thai original and verified
Firm annotation
The elements are (1) consuming liquor or another intoxicant, (2) becoming intoxicated as a result, (3) behaving in a disorderly manner or being unable to control oneself, and (4) being on a public road or in a public place at the time. Intoxication alone is not the offence, and disorderly behaviour alone is not this offence either; the section requires both, in public. It is a fine-only provision capped at 5,000 baht, with no imprisonment. It should not be confused with drink-driving, which falls under the Land Traffic Act B.E. 2522 and carries substantially heavier penalties including imprisonment and licence suspension, nor with quarrelling noisily or disturbing the peace of a public place under Section 372.
Why this matters in practice
For foreign visitors this is the provision most often behind a police station visit after a night out, and the important point is how small it is: a fine of up to 5,000 baht and no imprisonment. What makes a Section 378 matter serious is what is charged alongside it, typically use of force under Section 391, insult under Section 393, or damage to property under Section 358, and above all drink-driving under the Land Traffic Act, which is a separate and far heavier offence. Being drunk in public is not itself an offence under this section: the prosecution must also establish disorderly behaviour or loss of self-control, in a public place.
Cited in 13 Supreme Court decisions (1964 to 2003)
Selected citing decisions
- Decision 9590/2544 (2001)
- Decision 2075/2527 (1984)
- Decision 1100/2516 (1973)
- Decision 238/2515 (1972)
- Decision 437/2515 (1972)
- Decision 2674/2527 (1984)
- Decision 1904/2546 (2003)
- Decision 525/2526 (1983)
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 91 11
- Section 371 6
- Section 80 6
- Section 90 5
- Section 288 5
- Section 83 4
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
Is being drunk in public a crime in Thailand?
Not on its own. Section 378 requires that the person drank to the point of intoxication and then behaved in a disorderly manner, or was unable to control themselves, on a public road or in a public place. The penalty is a fine of up to 5,000 baht, with no imprisonment.
How does Section 378 relate to drink-driving?
They are different offences. Section 378 is a fine-only petty offence about disorderly conduct while intoxicated in public. Drink-driving is dealt with by the Land Traffic Act B.E. 2522 and carries far heavier penalties, including imprisonment and licence suspension.
Related guides on ThaiLawOnline
Cite this section
-
Plain citation
Penal Code, s. 378 (Thailand) -
Academic citation
Penal Code (Thailand), s. 378. ThaiLawOnline, https://www.thailawonline.com/thai-penal-code/section-378/ (accessed 17 August 2026). -
Thai citation
ป.อ. มาตรา 378 -
Permalink
https://www.thailawonline.com/thai-penal-code/section-378/ -
Embed on your site
<blockquote cite="https://www.thailawonline.com/thai-penal-code/section-378/"><p>Whoever consumes liquor or another intoxicant so as to become intoxicated and behaves in a disorderly manner, or is unable to control himself, while on a public road or in a public place, shall be liable to a fine not exceeding five thousand baht.</p><footer>Penal Code, s. 378 (Thailand) — <a href="https://www.thailawonline.com/thai-penal-code/section-378/">ThaiLawOnline</a></footer></blockquote>
The Thai text is authoritative. The English is an unofficial translation by ThaiLawOnline, free to reuse with attribution.