Thai police to enforce Public Penalty Act: no imprisonment for minor offences, fines only
Police across Thailand today will begin implementing the Public Penalty Act, which allows for fines instead of criminal punishments.
The new mandate, signed by the National Police Chief, ensures that individuals won’t face imprisonment or detention in lieu of fines and that their offences will not be recorded in their criminal history. This move took effect today at the National Police Office, where Torsak Sukwimol, the police chief, signed off on a written order dated yesterday, October 24.
The Public Penalty Act, enacted in 2023, came into force on June 22, 2023. It was established that laws under Schedule 1 and Schedule 3 of the Act would be implemented from today, October 25 onward. Thus, to ensure the smooth and comprehensive implementation of the law, the police force is directed to follow the order of the modus operandi under the Public Penalty Act, 2023. The order can be downloaded using the QR code provided at the end of this document, reported KhaoSod.
The Public Penalty Act is a law that determines appropriate penalties or punishments in line with the severity of the offence.
It aims to prevent individuals from facing undue punishment. The Act, which came into force in 2023, replaces criminal and administrative fines with “public penalties”—monetary fines payable to the state.
This legal measure is used instead of criminal penalties for minor offences. By stipulating that offences under public penalty involve only the payment of fines as determined by state officials or the court, it ensures there is no imprisonment or detention instead of fines.
Furthermore, these offences are not recorded in the criminal record, effectively eliminating unnecessary criminal penalties while improving the effectiveness of the fine system.
In 2020, the Cabinet approved a draft bill increasing the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 12 in line with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
It also gave the go-ahead to change the age during which measures other than criminal punishments can be applied, from 10-15 to 12-15, under the same code. To read more click HERE
