BANGKOK (Reuters) – An American academic was arrested in Thailand on Tuesday charged with insulting the monarchy, in a rare prosecution of a foreigner under one of the world’s strictest lese-majeste laws.
Police said Paul Chambers, a lecturer at Thailand’s Naresuan University, reported to a precinct in the northern province of Phitsanulok after a warrant for his arrest was issued last week following a complaint filed by the army.
Thailand’s monarchy is protected by Section 112 of the country’s penal code, which says anyone found guilty of defaming, insulting or threatening the king, queen, heir apparent or regent shall be punished with imprisonment of three to 15 years.
“He came to acknowledge the two charges, including a violation of Section 112,” a Phitsanulok police officer said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to media,
Chambers was also charged with a computer crime violation.
Wannaphat Jenroumjit, a lawyer for Chambers, said the accusations stemmed from a blurb for an online academic seminar last year at which he was a speaker. The blurb was posted on a website of a research institute based outside of Thailand, Wannaphat said.
“He has denied all charges,” said Wannaphat, a lawyer with the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights group.
The group said Chambers was denied bail.
Thai royalists consider the monarchy sacrosanct. Public discussion of the law has for decades been a taboo issue, with dozens of people jailed for perceived insults of the crown.
Since student-led, anti-government protests in 2020 that saw calls to abolish the law, 279 people have been charged with lese-majeste, according to data compiled by the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights group. Foreigners are rarely prosecuted.
Several prominent student leaders who made calls to scrap the law have since been imprisoned.
Asked about Chambers, the U.S. State Department said it was concerned about the arrest of a U.S. citizen.
“We regularly urge Thai authorities, both privately and publicly, to protect freedom of expression in accordance with Thailand’s international obligations,” a spokesperson said.
(Reporting by Panu Wongcha-um and Panarat Thepgumpanat; Editing by Martin Petty)
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