American Lecturer Arrested in Thailand, Accused of Royal Insult

Paul Chambers, a 58-year-old American lecturer in political science at Naresuan University in northern Thailand, has been arrested and charged with insulting the monarchy, a crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison under Thailand’s strict lese-majeste laws, Al Jazeera reports.

Chambers, originally from Oklahoma, was arrested on Tuesday and appeared in court in Phitsanulok province. He was subsequently denied bail and will await trial on charges under both the lese-majeste law and the Computer Crime Act, which regulates online expression. His legal team plans to appeal the bail denial on Wednesday. A trial date has not yet been set.

Chambers, who holds a PhD from Northern Illinois University and has been teaching in Thailand for over a decade, has focused his research on the Thai military’s influence on politics. The Thai army has a history of intervention, having staged 13 coups since 1932, including one as recently as 2014.

Scholars at Risk, a US-based academic freedom advocacy group, suggests the charges may stem from comments Chambers made during a 2024 webinar discussing military restructuring. The complaint was reportedly filed by Thailand’s Third Army Area, which oversees the northern region.

Napisa Waitoolkiat, Chambers’ wife and Dean of Social Sciences at Naresuan University, has disputed the evidence cited by authorities, claiming it does not accurately reflect her husband’s words. She told the Associated Press that authorities relied on a description from the Singapore-based ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, which hosted the online event.

“It feels like they wanted to deter Paul from his research, which often covers the Thai military’s economics,” she stated.

Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, a legal advocacy group, reported that Chambers was denied bail due to the “severity of potential punishment,” his foreign nationality, and objections from the police.

The US State Department has expressed its “alarm” over Chambers’ arrest and has pledged to provide consular support. In a statement, the department criticized Thailand’s use of the lese-majeste law and urged Thai authorities to “respect freedom of expression” and avoid stifling dissent.

Thailand’s lese-majeste law, often referred to as “Article 112,” imposes severe penalties for any criticism of the monarchy. While once a largely taboo subject, public debate surrounding the monarchy has grown in recent years, particularly among participants in youth-led pro-democracy protests that began in 2020.