Thai prosecutors announce they will not persist in charging U.S. academic over alleged royal insults.

FRESH TAKE

BANGKOK — State authorities in Thailand say they won't indict an American academic detained for royal defamation, an offense punishable by up to 15 years in prison. The arrest of Paul Chambers, a political science professor at Naresuan University in Phitsanulok, sent ripples through the academic community, particularly among Asian studies scholars and the U.S. government.

The decision not to take Chambers to court doesn't immediately lift the charge of offending the monarchy, also known as "lèse majesté," or a linked charge under the Computer Crime Act, encompassing online activities. The Phitsanulok provincial prosecutor will request the provincial court to abandon the charges and submit the case file and non-prosecution order to the commissioner of Provincial Police Region 6, responsible for Phitsanulok region, who might challenge the decision.

Chambers, a 58-year-old native of Oklahoma, was detained in early April following a complaint from the Northern Regional Office of the army’s Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC). A scholar on the influence and power of Thailand’s military, which orchestrated 13 coups since the country adopted a constitutional monarchy in 1932, most recently eleven years ago.

The ISOC reportedly filed the complaint based on a Facebook post translating text from a website of the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, a Singapore-based research organization, promoting a webinar on Thai politics, at which Chambers participated. Supporters of Chambers claim the webinar blurb, listed in the accusation as evidence, was not written by him.

Upon his arrest, Chambers was jailed for two nights before local police took him into custody. He was then released on bail with conditions, including wearing an ankle monitor. On Tuesday, a court allowed him to discard the device.

The government revoked Chambers' visa on the grounds of an immigration law barring entry to foreigners who may engage in activities that disrupt public order or morality, prostitution, people smuggling, and drug trafficking[1]. The next steps remain unclear[2].

Concerns were raised by the U.S. State Department following Chambers' arrest, expressing worries about applying lèse majesté laws in Thailand and urging the authorities to protect freedom of speech[2]. Thai Lawyers for Human Rights have reported that since 2020, more than 270 individuals, including numerous student activists, have been charged for violating the lèse majesté law[3].

Although public discourse on the monarchy's implications has grown louder in recent years, especially among younger Thais, conservative sections within the military, government, and courts still view the monarchy as untouchable[3]. The situation spawned more open criticisms when student-led pro-democracy protests emerged in 2020.

Despite the decision not to prosecute Paul Chambers, the charge of offending the Thai monarchy remains, potentially leading to a challenging process involving the provincial court and the Commissioner of Provincial Police Region 6.
In Bangkok, the government's decision not to indict Chambers, an American academic detained for royal defamation, adds to the ongoing tension surrounding freedom of speech and the lèse majesté law in Thailand.
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