US academic charged for insulting Thai king, raising concerns over free speech

A prominent American academic was detained on Tuesday and charged with insulting Thailand’s monarchy – in a rare case of a foreign national falling foul of the kingdom’s strict lèse-majesté law.

Paul Chambers, who has spent more than a decade teaching Southeast Asia politics in Thailand, is in pre-trial detention awaiting a decision on his bail request, lawyer Wannaphat Jenroumjit said.

“He denied the charge,” Wannaphat said.

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

The Thai military filed a complaint earlier this year against Chambers, a lecturer at Naresuan University in northern Thailand, over an article linked to an online discussion.

He was informed of the charge last week and told to report to a police station in the northern Phitsanulok province on Tuesday to formally respond.