A US academic teaching in Thailand is facing years in prison for allegedly insulting the king. Paul Chambers of Naresuan University, who writes about civil-military relations and democracy in Asia, with a special focus on Thailand, told CNN on Tuesday that the case against him is largely a mystery. A regional army command filed a complaint against Chambers before an arrest warrant was issued last week, according to his lawyer, Wannaphat Jenroumjit. Chambers appeared before police on Tuesday and was formally charged with violating the kingdom's lese-majeste law, which makes it a crime to defame, insult, or threaten the monarchy. A single offense can result in a 15-year prison sentence.
Chambers, who was denied bail at a Tuesday court appearance, is also facing charges under the Computer Crimes Act. He's accused of penning a blurb on the website of Singapore's Institute of Southeast Asian Studies about an online academic seminar on military reshuffles, according to Akarachai Chaimaneekarakate, a member of his legal team. Chambers was a speaker at the seminar in October, per Reuters, but "neither wrote nor published the blurb," Chaimaneekarakate told CNN. The US State Department said Monday it was "concerned" by reports of Chambers' arrest.
Critics say Thailand often uses its lese-majeste law to silence criticism and opposition. Foreigners are rarely prosecuted, but Chambers—who's lived in Thailand since 1993, per the Bangkok Post—has been "a major target by ultra-royalist groups, which have launched multiple attacks against him for years—ranging from online disinformation and hate campaigns to pressing authorities to revoke his visa and get him expulsed from the university," Sunai Phasuk of Human Rights Watch tells CNN. His legal team intends to file another bail request, citing a medical condition. (More Thailand stories.)
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