American academic released from Thailand, charges dropped

An American professor was on his way home to the United States on Thursday after authorities agreed to drop charges that he insulted the Thai royal family.

Authorities arrested Paul Chambers in April, alleging that he violated Thailand’s lèse-majesté law, which prohibits insulting or defaming the Thai royal family. They also accused him of violating the Computer Crime Act, which regulates online activity. The accusations stem from the description of a 2024 webinar titled, “Thailand’s 2024 Military and Police Reshuffles: What Do They Mean?” The description referenced the Thai military’s involvement in politics. The webinar’s website identified Chambers, a professor at Naresuan University in Phitsanulok, Thailand, as the speaker. But Chambers denied writing the description.

Chambers was taken into police custody but was later released on bail. Thai officials seized his passport, revoked his work visa, and required him to wear an ankle monitor.

So what changed? Earlier this month, a spokesperson for Thailand’s attorney general’s office wrote that Thai authorities reviewed Chambers’ file and decided there wasn’t enough evidence to pursue the charges against him. On Tuesday, Thailand’s attorney general affirmed the decision. Chambers is free to leave the country, according to a press release from Global Reach, a nonprofit that advocates for Americans imprisoned or held in other countries. According to the release, Chambers plans to return to his home state, Oklahoma.

Why can’t people speak against the king in Thailand? The lèse-majesté law forbids people in Thailand from insulting or threatening any member of the royal family. Violations are punishable by 3-15 years in prison, which is harsher than comparable royal insult laws in other countries. Human rights activists from the United Nations have urged Thailand to halt its lèse-majesté law, calling it a threat to freedom and democracy.

What do critics say? 112 Watch, a group that opposes the lèse-majesté law, wrote in a statement that this case violates academic freedom. According to the statement, Chambers had been a target of the Thai government for years, and Thai officials wanted to intimidate him, they wrote. Chambers’ mom, Peggy Chambers, told WORLD her son knew Thai law and would have never broken it. The Chambers family was shocked by the charge, and Peggy Chambers said it showed the importance of constitutional freedoms.

“Academic freedom is something that all democratic societies need to have,” Peggy Chambers said. “It seems an assault against the university system.”