An American academic has been arrested in Thailand and charged with insulting the monarchy under the country’s strict treason laws.
Paul Chambers, a prominent lecturer at Thailand's Naresuan University, turned himself in to police in the northern province of Phitsanulok on Tuesday, after a warrant for his arrest was issued last week.
The warrant followed a complaint filed by the army, which accused Chambers of violating Section 112 of Thailand’s penal code, in a written introduction to an article in October 2024.
That law states that anyone found guilty of defaming, insulting or threatening the king, queen, heir apparent or regent shall be punished with imprisonment of three to 15 years.
According to Akarachai Chaimaneekarakate, advocacy lead for the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights Centre and part of Chambers’ legal team, Chambers has been accused of publishing a blurb on Singapore’s Institute of Southeast Asian Studies website in connection with an webinar in October 2024 about military changes.
“He denied all charges. He neither wrote nor published the blurb on the website,” the advocate said.
Alongside lese majeste, the crime of insulting a monarch or other ruler, Chambers is also facing charges under Thailand’s Computer Crimes Act.
On Tuesday, the center said that Chambers had been denied bail twice, forcing him to be put behind bars immediately, but that his lawyers were appealing.
Chambers holds a PhD in political science from Northern Illinois University, and is well-known in academic circles as a commentator on civil-military relations and democracy in Asia, with a special focus on Thailand. He has lived in Thailand since 1993.
Many of his articles appear on the center’s website.
Thai royalists consider the monarchy sacrosanct, and public discussion of the law has for decades been a taboo issue, with dozens of people jailed for perceived insults of the crown.
Student-led, anti-government protests in 2020 called for the abolition of the law, but resulted in 279 people being charged with lese-majeste in the years since. Foreigners are rarely prosecuted, however.
According to Reuters, the U.S. State Department said it was aware and concerned about the arrest of an American citizen.
"We regularly urge Thai authorities, both privately and publicly, to protect freedom of expression in accordance with Thailand's international obligations," a spokesperson said.
Reuters contributed to this report.
