In a recent development in Thailand, state prosecutors revealed they will not proceed with charges against Paul Chambers, an American academic accused of royal defamation. This charge, known as “lèse majesté”, carries a potential prison sentence of up to 15 years. Chambers, a political science lecturer at Naresuan University, was arrested last month in Phitsanulok, a northern province of Thailand. His arrest has sparked concern among academics, particularly those specializing in Asian studies worldwide, and has also drawn attention from the U.S. government.
Although prosecutors have opted not to pursue the case, this doesn’t automatically clear Chambers of the lèse majesté charge or the related accusation of breaching the Computer Crime Act, which pertains to online activities. The Phitsanulok provincial prosecutor intends to petition the provincial court to dismiss the charges. The prosecutor will also send the case file and nonprosecution order to the commissioner of Provincial Police Region 6, who has the discretion to review and potentially challenge this decision.
Paul Chambers, a 58-year-old originally from Oklahoma and armed with a doctorate in political science from Northern Illinois University, found himself under arrest in April following a complaint from the northern regional office of the army’s Internal Security Operations Command. Chambers’ work has focused on the power of the Thai military, an entity with significant political influence, having executed 13 coups since the country transitioned to a constitutional monarchy in 1932, with the most recent coup occurring 11 years ago.
The Internal Security Operations Command lodged their complaint based on a Facebook post referencing a website run by the ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute, a think tank in Singapore. This post was related to a webinar on Thai politics that included Chambers as a participant. Supporters of Chambers argue that he did not author the blurb used in the charge sheet as evidence against him. After surrendering to police, Chambers was detained for two nights but was later released on bail, subject to conditions, including wearing an ankle monitor. Recently, a court allowed him to remove the monitoring device.
At the time of arrest, his visa was revoked under immigration law provisions that prohibit entry to foreigners deemed likely to engage in activities contrary to public order or morality. Whether this revocation will be permanent remains uncertain.
Following Chambers’ arrest, the U.S. State Department expressed its ongoing concerns regarding the use of lèse majesté laws in Thailand, emphasizing the importance of respecting freedom of expression and warning against using the laws to suppress legitimate expression. Thailand’s lèse majesté law prescribes imprisonment of three to 15 years for those who defame, insult, or threaten the monarchy. Critics argue it is one of the world’s harshest such laws and is often employed to punish dissenters of the government and military.
While the monarchy has historically been a revered institution in Thailand, protected from criticism, public discourse challenging this taboo has intensified over the last decade. This shift has been particularly pronounced among young people, with student-driven pro-democracy protests beginning in 2020 openly critiquing the monarchy. Consequently, the law has been more vigorously enforced in recent years. According to the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, more than 270 individuals, many of them student activists, have faced charges under this law since early 2020.