A PROMINENT American academic was detained and charged with insulting Thailand’s monarchy in a rare case of a foreign national falling foul of the kingdom’s strict lese-majeste law.
Paul Chambers, who has spent more than a decade teaching South-East Asia politics in Thailand, is in pre-trial detention awaiting a decision on his bail request, lawyer Wannaphat Jenroumjit said.
“He denied the charge,” she added.
Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn and his close family are protected from criticism by the lese-majeste law, with each offence punishable by up to 15 years in jail.
The Thai military filed a complaint earlier this year against Chambers, a lecturer at Naresuan University in northern Thailand, over an article linked to an online discussion.
He was informed of the charge last week and told to report to a police station in the northern Phitsanulok province on Tuesday to formally respond.
“We have to check all details, but the defendant said he didn’t do it and I believe the law will protect him,” Jenroumjit said.
The US State Department said in a statement it was “alarmed” by the arrest and said it “takes its responsibility to assist US citizens abroad seriously.”
“This case reinforces our long-standing concerns about the use of lese majeste laws in Thailand. We continue to urge Thai authorities to respect freedom of expression,” the statement added.
Chambers said he felt “intimidated” by the situation, but was being supported by the US embassy and colleagues at his university.
Charges under Thailand’s royal defamation law have surged in recent years and critics say it is misused to stifle dissent.
International watchdogs have expressed concern over its increasing use against academics, activists, and even students.
One man in northern Thailand was jailed for at least 50 years for lese-majeste last year, while a woman got 43 years in 2021. — AFP
