BANGKOK—A prominent American academic was detained on Tuesday and charged with insulting Thailand’s monarchy, his lawyer told AFP Wednesday, in a rare case of a foreign national falling foul of the kingdom’s strict lese-majeste 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 told AFP.
Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn and his close family are protected from criticism by the lese-majeste law, with each offense 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 Tuesday to formally respond.
“We have to check all details, but the defendant said he didn’t do it and I believe the law will protect him,” Wannaphat said.
The US State Department said in a statement it was “alarmed” by the arrest and said it “takes its responsibility to assist US citizens abroad seriously.”
“This case reinforces our longstanding concerns about the use of lese majeste laws in Thailand. We continue to urge Thai authorities to respect freedom of expression,” the statement added.