US ‘Deeply Alarmed’ by Arrest of Academic in Thailand

The State Department expressed alarm on Tuesday at the arrest of American academic Paul Chambers in Thailand. He was charged with insulting a monarchy in one of the strictest laws in the world against lese-majeste.

Police in Thailand said that Chambers, who is a lecturer from Thailand’s Naresuan University and was arrested last week after an army complaint, had reported to a police precinct located in the province of Phitsanulok.

Section 112 in the Thai penal code protects the monarchy. Anyone found guilty of insulting, defaming, or threatening a king, queen or heir apparent, or regent, will be sentenced to imprisonment for three to fifteen years.

Chambers was charged with an offense involving computer crimes.

In a press release, the State Department stated that “as a treaty-aligned country of Thailand, we’ll closely monitor this matter and advocate for fair treatment of Paul Chambers.”

This case confirms our long-standing concern about the application of lese majeste in Thailand. We continue to call on Thai authorities to respect the freedom of speech and ensure that laws do not stifle allowed expression, it said.

Thai royalists hold the monarchy in high regard. For decades, public discussion of law has been taboo. Dozens of people have been jailed for perceived insults to the crown.

Chambers’ lawyer denied the allegations and stated that the accusations were based on a blurb from an online academic conference last year, at which Chambers was a speaker. The lawyer claimed that the blurb appeared on a research institute’s website located outside Thailand.