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Agence France-Presse

Thai prosecutors dropped royal defamation charges on Thursday against an American scholar accused of insulting the monarchy over an article published on a political website.
Paul Chambers – a long-time Southeast Asia politics scholar in Thailand – was arrested last month in Phitsanulok province, north of Bangkok, under the kingdom’s strict lèse-majesté laws.
The case marked a rare instance of a foreign national being charged under Thailand’s lèse-majesté law, which bans criticism of King Maha Vajiralongkorn and his close family and carries sentences of up to 15 years in jail per offence.
The Office of the Attorney General said on Thursday it had decided “not to indict” Chambers.
“The director general had decided not to indict the suspect,” the statement said, adding that prosecutors would seek to dismiss the case in court and coordinate with police.

The Thai army, a staunch defender of the monarchy, filed the complaint over a short blurb posted on a political think tank website this year.
A military spokesperson last week defended the decision to file the case following criticism that the army had no legal standing to do so under the Thai law.
Trade talks between Thailand and the United States have been indefinitely postponed, fuelling speculation that the arrest may have strained diplomatic ties between the two countries.
International watchdogs have expressed concern over the use of the lèse-majesté laws – known as Article 112 – against academics, activists and even students.
One man in northern Thailand was jailed for at least 50 years for lèse-majesté last year, while a woman was given a 43-year prison sentence in 2021.
In 2023, a man was jailed for two years for selling satirical calendars featuring rubber ducks that a court said defamed the king.


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Thai prosecutors drop royal insult charge against US academic

US political science lecturer Paul Chambers (left) of Thailand’s Naresuan University, stands outside the police station in Phitsanulok, Thailand, where he was arrested on April 8, 2025, on charges of insulting the monarchy. Photo: AP

Tourists take photos of the procession in honour of Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s 72nd birthday in Bangkok in 2024. Criticism of the king and his close family and carries sentences of up to 15 years in jail. Photo: EPA-EFE

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US political science lecturer Paul Chambers, left, of Thailand’s Naresuan University, stands outside the police station in Phitsanulok, Thailand, where he was arrested on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, on charges of insulting the monarchy. Photo: AP

Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida review the guard of honour during a trooping of the colours ceremony to mark the king’s 72nd birthday in Bangkok on December 3, 2024. Photo: Reuters

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US academic faces jail term for insulting Thai king, raising concerns over free speech

Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn (centre) with his royal noble consort Sineenat Wongvajirabhakdi (right). Photo: AP

Paul Chambers is a lecturer at Naresuan University in Thailand. Photo: Paul Chambers

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News

Asia

Southeast Asia

The long-time Southeast Asia politics scholar in Thailand was arrested last month under the kingdom’s strict lèse-majesté laws


The long-time Southeast Asia politics scholar in Thailand was arrested last month under the kingdom’s strict lèse-majesté laws.


Royalty

King Maha Vajiralongkorn

Human rights

United States

Thai prosecutors drop royal insult charge against US academic

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The long-time Southeast Asia politics scholar in Thailand was arrested last month under the kingdom’s strict lèse-majesté laws

The long-time Southeast Asia politics scholar in Thailand was arrested last month under the kingdom’s strict lèse-majesté laws