Prominent US academic facing royal insult charge in Thailand

BANGKOK – Thai police summoned a prominent American academic on April 4 to face charges of insulting the monarchy, a rare case of a foreign national being charged under the kingdom’s strict lese majeste law.

The army filed a complaint against Dr Paul Chambers, a lecturer at Naresuan University in northern Thailand and a respected authority on the kingdom’s politics, over comments he made in an online discussion.

Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn and his close family are protected from criticism by the lese majeste law, with each offence punishable by up to 15 years in jail.

Charges under the law have increased dramatically in recent years, and critics say it is misused to stifle legitimate debate.

According to a police summons dated April 4 and seen by AFP, Dr Chambers is accused of “insulting or showing malice towards the king, queen, heir to the throne or regent”, as well as “introducing counterfeit computer data that could threaten national security”.

Dr Chambers told AFP the charge stems from remarks he made during a webinar held in 2024 in which he discussed the relationship between the Thai military and the monarchy during a question-and-answer session.

“I believe I’m the first non-Thai in years to face this charge,” he said by phone.

He said that while he felt “intimidated” by the situation, he was being supported by the US embassy and colleagues at the university.

Mr Sunai Phasuk of Human Rights Watch confirmed to AFP that police in Phitsanulok province agreed not to detain Dr Chambers immediately.

Instead, he has been summoned to formally acknowledge the charge at a police station on April 1.

Phitsanulok police did not comment about the case when contacted by AFP.

The royal defamation law, known as 112 from the relevant article of Thailand’s criminal code, has been