Paul Chambers to record to police on Tuesday to reply complaint filed by Thai army
PUBLISHED: 4 Apr 2025 at 14: 10
A popular American scientific and longtime tenant of Thailand is facing a charge of imperial slander, following a complaint filed by the military.
Paul Chambers, a teacher and special adviser on foreign interests at Naresuan University in Phitsanulok, is scheduled to report to authorities on April 8 to recognize the problem, according to Sunai Phasuk, a senior scholar on Thailand for Human Rights Watch.
Mr Sunai said that officers who visited the university on Friday agreed never to prosecute Mr Chambers after agreements with the leader of the organization.
The complaint filed by the Third Army Region stems from a presentation Mr Chambers gave final year about the martial change, which reportedly contained information that was disrespectful to the king, said Mr Sunai.
In addition to a complaint of lese-majeste under Section 112 of the Criminal Code, Mr Chambers could face a charge of computer crime. The two charges are frequently used together.
Lese-majeste is punishable by between 3 and 15 years in prison.
The academic told AFP that while he felt “intimidated” by the situation, he was being supported by the US embassy and colleagues at the university.
Mr Chambers, who holds a PhD in political science from Northern Illinois University, is well-known in academic circles as a commentator on civil-military relations and democracy in Asia, with a special focus on Thailand.
His books include Khaki Capital: The Political Economy of the Military in Southeast Asia, and Praetorian Kingdom: A History of Military Ascendancy in Thailand.