BANGKOK — On Tuesday, American political science expert Paul Chambers was detained in Thailand under accusations from the Thai military that he insulted the monarchy, an offense that carries a potential punishment of up to 15 years imprisonment. Chambers, a lecturer at Naresuan University in Phitsanulok, was initially called in by authorities last week to be informed of the charges laid upon him, which also include alleged violations under the Computer Crime Act, a law governing online activities.
Chambers, who hails from Oklahoma and holds a doctorate in political science from Northern Illinois University, has extensively researched the political influence exerted by the Thai military. The military has historically played a significant role in Thailand’s politics, orchestrating 13 coups since the country became a constitutional monarchy in 1932, with the most recent one occurring 11 years ago.
On Tuesday, Chambers appeared before the police to formally receive the charges, before being transferred to a provincial court for a pretrial detention hearing. A legal advocacy group, Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, reported that the court denied Chambers bail. The reasons cited included the gravity of potential punishment, his status as a foreigner, and objections from the police.
The group announced plans to reapply for bail at an appeals court on Wednesday, though no date for a trial has been scheduled yet. Attempts to contact personnel at the police station dealing with the case were unsuccessful, as the officer referred the call to a superior who did not respond.
In allegations concerning the royal family, commonly referred to as “112” due to its criminal code article number, it is not uncommon for Thai courts to refuse bail. The Scholars at Risk project, which advocates academic freedom, speculated that the complaints against Chambers might be linked to comments he made during a webinar later in 2024 about military restructuring, which reportedly prompted the complaint from the 3rd Army Area in Northern Thailand.
However, Chambers’ wife, Napisa Waitoolkiat, who is also the dean of the social sciences faculty at Naresuan University, asserted that the evidence used by authorities did not stem from her husband. Instead, it originated from a website operated by the ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, which hosted the webinar. Thai Lawyers for Human Rights specified that the charges were based on the text from an October 2024 webinar invitation titled “Thailand’s 2024 Military and Police Reshuffles: What Do They Mean?”. They added that the indictment included a Thai translation of the event’s description.
Napisa also pointed out that unlike typical procedural norms, her husband was not summoned for questioning prior to his arrest warrant being issued. “It just feels like they wanted to deter Paul from doing his work and research, which often touches on topics like the economics of the Thai army,” she commented.
Thai law enforces severe penalties, ranging from 3 to 15 years in prison for acts that defame, insult, or threaten the king, queen, heir apparent, or regent. Critics argue that this law is one of the most stringent worldwide and has often been leveraged to suppress governmental and military critics. Although historically the monarchy has been a revered pillar of Thai society—largely untouchable by criticism—the past decade has witnessed increasing public debate on the subject. Young people, spearheading student-led pro-democracy protests since 2020, have openly challenged the institution, leading to aggressive enforcement of the once little-invoked law. According to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, over 270 individuals, predominantly student activists, have been charged under this law since early 2020.