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US academic faces jail term for insulting Thai king, raising concerns over free speech
Thailand’s strict royal defamation law is being increasingly used against dissenters, critics claim
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A prominent American academic was detained on Tuesday and charged with insulting Thailand’s monarchy – in a rare case of a foreign national falling foul of the kingdom’s strict lèse-majesté law.
Paul Chambers, who has spent more than a decade teaching Southeast Asia politics in Thailand, is in pre-trial detention awaiting a decision on his bail request, lawyer Wannaphat Jenroumjit said.
“He denied the charge,” Wannaphat said.
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Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn and his close family are protected from criticism by the lèse-majesté 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.
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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,” Wannaphat said.
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