An American lecturer, Paul Chambers, has been detained in Thailand for allegedly insulting the monarchy, a crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
Chambers, a political science professor at Naresuan University in northern Thailand, was arrested on Tuesday and brought before a court in Phitsanulok province.
The 58-year-old was denied bail ahead of his trial on charges under Thailand’s lese-majeste law, which protects the monarchy, and the Computer Crime Act, which regulates online speech. His legal team plans to appeal the decision, though no trial date has been set.
Chambers, who has taught in Thailand for over a decade, has focused his research on the Thai military’s influence on politics. Scholars at Risk, a U.S.-based academic freedom organization, speculates that the charges may be linked to comments Chambers made during a 2024 webinar on military restructuring.
Chambers' wife, Napisa Waitoolkiat, the dean of social sciences at Naresuan University, denied the accusations, stating that the evidence cited by authorities was not his words. She suggested that the charges were an attempt to discourage his research, which often explores the Thai military’s economic role.
The U.S. State Department expressed concern over the arrest, offering consular support and condemning Thailand’s lese-majeste law, urging respect for freedom of expression and opposing actions that suppress dissent.
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