Suggestion to Dismiss Royal Insult Charge Against American Scholar

Thai Prosecutors Ditch Lese-Majeste and Computer Crime Charges Against Academic Paul Chambers

In a surprising turn of events, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) of Thailand has recommended dropping the charges against American scholar Paul Chambers for lese-majeste and computer crimes. Spokesman Sakkasem Nisaiyok confirmed this decision on a recent statement.

Prosecutors from OAG Region 6, responsible for Phitsanulok province where the charges were laid, took this action after reviewing the investigation file submitted by the Muang district police station. They will submit a request to Phitsanulok Provincial Court to dismiss the case against Mr. Chambers, with a copy to the Provincial Police Region 6 commander, as per Mr. Sakkasem's statement.

The OAG statement did not offer any specific reasoning for the decision. It merely stated that the evidence did not satisfy the guidelines for enforcing action under Section 112 of the Criminal Code, the royal defamation law.

Pheu Thai Party, the coalition-leading party, disseminated the OAG's statement via its official X account. The declaration comes at a delicate juncture in U.S.-Thai relations, sparking unconfirmed speculation that the case may have been one of the factors responsible for postponing negotiations on the 36% tariffs proposed by the U.S.

However, the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) firmly denied any such link, asserting that the timing was purely coincidental.

Reports suggest that the complaint against Mr. Chambers centered around his involvement in an academic webinar organized by the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore on Thailand's military and police reshuffles. Although Mr. Chambers maintains he neither wrote nor published the text, which has since been removed from the Institute's website, he was indeed listed as a speaker.

Paul Chambers, a 58-year-old lecturer and special adviser on international affairs at Naresuan University in Phitsanulok, was charged on April 8, a week after the Third Army Region and Isoc filed the complaint with police in the province. Lese-majeste is punishable by between 3 and 15 years in prison, while computer crimes charges often accompany royal defamation charges and can lengthen sentences.

After being detained for a night, Mr. Chambers was granted bail under the condition that he wear an electronic monitoring device on his ankle. On Monday of this week, he petitioned the Phitsanulok provincial court for the removal of the device, arguing that he had shown no signs of intending to flee. While the court initially denied his request, the Court of Appeal overturned the decision on Wednesday and approved the removal of the device, according to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights.

Mr. Chambers' family in Oklahoma rallied for his release, lobbying congressmen, senators, and the U.S. State Department. Kit Chambers even penned an opinion piece in a local newspaper urging trade talks between Thailand to be suspended until her brother's release.

The American Political Science Association also issued a statement this week, urging the Thai government to respect academic freedom and freedom of expression, as protected by the Constitution and international treaties to which Thailand is a party. Paul Chambers, a PhD holder in political science from Northern Illinois University, is well-known for his insights on civil-military relations and democracy in Asia, with a special emphasis on Thailand. He has resided in Thailand since 1993.

His works, such as Khaki Capital: The Political Economy of the Military in Southeast Asia and Praetorian Kingdom: A History of Military Ascendancy in Thailand, further cement his reputation as an authoritative voice on the subject.

The surprising decision to drop the charges against Paul Chambers for lese-majeste and computer crimes was announced by the Office of the Attorney General, with Spokesman Sakkasem Nisaiyok confirming the recommendation in a recent statement.
The Pheu Thai Party, Thailand's coalition-leading party, shared the OAG's statement, highlighting the timing as it coincides with a delicate juncture in U.S.-Thai relations, sparking unconfirmed speculation about the case potentially influencing the postponement of negotiations on U.S. tariffs.
The Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) vehemently denied any link between the case and the tariff negotiations, asserting that the timing was purely coincidental.
The dismissal of the case comes after an investigation involving the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, where Paul Chambers was listed as a speaker in an academic webinar discussing Thailand's military and police reshuffles, although he maintains he neither wrote nor published the text, which has since been removed from the Institute's website.