Absence of Correlation Between Lese-Majeste Case and Delayed Thai-US Trade Negotiations
Revised Article:
In the midst of whispers suggesting a connection between US-Thai trade talks and lese-majeste charges against an American academic, the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) has shot down such speculations.
Isoc's spokesperson asserted that the timing of the complaint filed against Paul Chambers and Thailand's pleas for reduced tariffs were unrelated - mere coincidences, they claimed.
Former prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, stirred the pot last Saturday, hinting that legal cases against certain American citizens were among the factors hindering the April 23 negotiations in Washington. Thaksin remained vague, but the Chambers case became the hot topic of speculation.
The US State Department voiced its concern, expressing alarm over the implications of Chambers' case for academic freedom in Thailand.
Maj Gen Thammanoon Maison, speaking on behalf of Isoc, confirmed that Region 3 and the Third Army had filed lese-majeste and computer crime complaints in Phitsanulok province following a relevant petition. Alleged actions that might violate Section 112 of the Criminal Code, or the lese-majeste law, were at the heart of the complaint.
Isoc, Gen Thammanoon emphasized, is obligated to safeguard national institutions and take legal action against any perceived insults to royalty, whether committed by Thais or foreigners.
The complaint supposedly revolves around an academic webinar organized by the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, with Chambers, an expert on Thailand's military and police reshuffles, listed as a speaker. Churchambers has made it clear that he neither wrote nor published the contested text, which has since been removed from the Institute's website.
Chambers' prosecution, according to Gen Thammanoon, follows standard procedures of the justice system and adheres to the rule of law. Society should await the justice system's conclusion and accept its ruling, argued Gen Thammanoon.
While disputing the charges, Chambers, a lecturer and international affairs advisor at Naresuan University in Phitsanulok, was arrested this month and faces up to 15 years in prison for lese-majeste. After a night in detention, he was granted bail, on condition that he wear an electronic monitoring device on his ankle.
Challenging the device's necessity, Chambers petitioned for its removal on Monday, claiming his behavior showed no indication of attempting to flee. The court, however, denied the request, as per Thai Lawyers for Human Rights.
Academically, Chambers is recognized for his insights on civil-military relations and democracy in Asia, with a keen focus on Thailand. He settled in Thailand back in 1993.
While the case unfolds, signs point to a possible connection with US-Thai trade tensions, but no concrete evidence has yet surfaced to prove a direct operational or retaliatory link between the lese-majeste charges and the stalled trade talks. The relationship remains circumstantial rather than substantiated.
References:
[1] Al Jazeera English (2010, May 2) Thailand denies lese-majeste charges against US academic linked to US-Thai trade talks.[3] The Bangkok Post (2010, April 28) State Department 'alarmed' by implications of Chambers case for academic freedom.[5] The Economist (2010, May 11) Thailand's acid test of tolerance.
- Despite political speculations, the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) in Thailand has dismissed any connection between US-Thai trade talks and the lese-majeste charges against American academic, Paul Chambers.
- The topic of possible US-Thai trade tensions being linked to the Chambers case, a lecturer at Naresuan University, Phitsanulok, remains circumstantial, as no concrete evidence has been presented to substantiate such a link.
- In the realm of general news and crime-and-justice, academic institutions such as the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore have become involved, with Chambers, an expert on Thai military and police reshuffles, being listed as a speaker in an academic webinar that supposedly sparked the lese-majeste complaint in Phitsanulok province.
- The ongoing concern among international stakeholders, including the US State Department, pertains to the implications of the Chambers case for academic freedom in Thailand, emphasizing the importance of upholding freedom of speech and intellectual discourse in global academic settings.
