Thai police yesterday summoned an American academic 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 Paul Chambers, a lecturer at Naresuan University in northern Thailand and an 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 offense punishable by up to 15 years in jail.
Photo: Reuters
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 yesterday, 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.”
Chambers told reporters that the charge stems from remarks he made during a webinar last year 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 telephone.
He said that while he felt “intimidated” by the situation, he was being supported by the US embassy and colleagues at the university.
Sunai Phasuk of Human Rights Watch told reporters that police in Phitsanulok Province agreed not to detain Chambers immediately. Instead, he has been summoned to formally acknowledge the charge at a police station on Tuesday.
Phitsanulok Police did not comment about the case when contacted by reporters.
The royal defamation law, known as 112 from the relevant article of Thailand’s criminal code, has been widely criticized by human rights groups for its broad interpretation and harsh penalties. International watchdogs have expressed concern over its increasing use against academics, rights advocates and even students.
Charges under 112 grew sharply in the wake of youth-led protests in 2020 that called for reforms to the monarchy’s role in public life.
One man in northern Thailand was jailed for at least 50 years for lese-majeste last year, while a woman was handed a 43-year sentence in 2021.
In 2023 a man was jailed for two years for selling satirical calendars featuring rubber ducks that a court said defamed the king.
BACKLASH: The National Party quit its decades-long partnership with the Liberal Party after their election loss to center-left Labor, which won a historic third term Australia’s National Party has split from its conservative coalition partner of more than 60 years, the Liberal Party, citing policy differences over renewable energy and after a resounding loss at a national election this month. “Its time to have a break,” Nationals leader David Littleproud told reporters yesterday. The split shows the pressure on Australia’s conservative parties after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left Labor party won a historic second term in the May 3 election, powered by a voter backlash against US President Donald Trump’s policies. Under the long-standing partnership in state and federal politics, the Liberal and National coalition had shared power
NO EXCUSES: Marcos said his administration was acting on voters’ demands, but an academic said the move was emotionally motivated after a poor midterm showing Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr yesterday sought the resignation of all his Cabinet secretaries, in a move seen as an attempt to reset the political agenda and assert his authority over the second half of his single six-year term. The order came after the president’s allies failed to win a majority of Senate seats contested in the 12 polls on Monday last week, leaving Marcos facing a divided political and legislative landscape that could thwart his attempts to have an ally succeed him in 2028. “He’s talking to the people, trying to salvage whatever political capital he has left. I think it’s
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
Polish presidential candidates offered different visions of Poland and its relations with Ukraine in a televised debate ahead of next week’s run-off, which remains on a knife-edge. During a head-to-head debate lasting two hours, centrist Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, from Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s governing pro-European coalition, faced the Eurosceptic historian Karol Nawrocki, backed by the right-wing populist Law and Justice party (PiS). The two candidates, who qualified for the second round after coming in the top two places in the first vote on Sunday last week, clashed over Poland’s relations with Ukraine, EU policy and the track records of their
RSS