Section 379: Drawing or brandishing a weapon in a quarrel
Statutory text (Thai original)
ผู้ใดชักหรือแสดงอาวุธในการวิวาทต่อสู้ ต้องระวางโทษจำคุกไม่เกินสิบวัน หรือปรับไม่เกินห้าพันบาท หรือทั้งจำทั้งปรับ หมายเหตุ: [อัตราโทษ แก้ไขเพิ่มเติมโดยมาตรา ๖ แห่งพระราชบัญญัติแก้ไขเพิ่มเติมประมวลกฎหมายอาญา (ฉบับที่ ๒๒) พ.ศ. ๒๕๕๘]
English translation
Whoever draws or brandishes a weapon in the course of a quarrel or a fight shall be liable to imprisonment not exceeding ten days, or a fine not exceeding five thousand baht, or both.
ThaiLawOnline translation, written from the Thai original and verified
Firm annotation
The elements are (1) drawing or displaying a weapon and (2) doing so in the course of a quarrel or a fight. The offence is complete on the display: the weapon need not be used, and neither injury nor a threat of any specific harm need be proved, which is what separates it from causing fear by threat under Section 392 and from coercion under Section 309. It is also distinct from Section 371, which punishes carrying a weapon in a town, a village or a public way without reasonable cause, because Section 379 requires the context of an actual quarrel or fight. The penalty is up to ten days' imprisonment, or a fine of up to 5,000 baht, or both, one of the lightest custodial provisions in the Code.
Why this matters in practice
In a bar or roadside altercation, Section 379 is frequently charged alongside heavier offences, and its value to the prosecution is that it is easy to prove: producing the weapon during the quarrel is enough, with no need to show that anyone was hurt or specifically threatened. For a defendant the useful line of argument is context, that there was no quarrel or fight at the relevant moment, or that the object was not a weapon. A knife or similar object carried for work can still be a weapon for the purposes of this section once it is drawn in a fight. Where the weapon is a firearm, expect additional and far heavier charges under the Firearms Act.
Cited in 7 Supreme Court decisions (1962 to 2019)
Selected citing decisions
- Decision 1811/2505 (1962)
- Decision 3053/2531 (1988)
- Decision 11982/2555 (2012)
- Decision 2961/2543 (2000)
- Decision 2604/2532 (1989)
- Decision 3610/2562 (2019)
- Decision 77/2541 (1998)
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 83 6
- Section 91 6
- Section 371 4
- Section 90 3
- Section 78 3
- Thai CrPC s. 225 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
What does Section 379 punish?
Drawing or brandishing a weapon in the course of a quarrel or a fight. The penalty is up to ten days in prison, or a fine of up to 5,000 baht, or both.
Does the weapon have to be used?
No. The offence is complete on drawing or displaying the weapon during the quarrel. No injury and no specific threat need be proved, which distinguishes it from causing fear by threat under Section 392 and from coercion under Section 309.
How does Section 379 differ from Section 371?
Section 371 punishes carrying a weapon in a town, a village or a public way without reasonable cause. Section 379 requires the context of an actual quarrel or fight, and is directed at producing the weapon during it.
Related guides on ThaiLawOnline
Cite this section
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Plain citation
Penal Code, s. 379 (Thailand) -
Academic citation
Penal Code (Thailand), s. 379. ThaiLawOnline, https://www.thailawonline.com/thai-penal-code/section-379/ (accessed 21 August 2026). -
Thai citation
ป.อ. มาตรา 379 -
Permalink
https://www.thailawonline.com/thai-penal-code/section-379/ -
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<blockquote cite="https://www.thailawonline.com/thai-penal-code/section-379/"><p>Whoever draws or brandishes a weapon in the course of a quarrel or a fight shall be liable to imprisonment not exceeding ten days, or a fine not exceeding five thousand baht, or both.</p><footer>Penal Code, s. 379 (Thailand) — <a href="https://www.thailawonline.com/thai-penal-code/section-379/">ThaiLawOnline</a></footer></blockquote>
The Thai text is authoritative. The English is an unofficial translation by ThaiLawOnline, free to reuse with attribution.