US academic in limbo in Thailand over royal insult case, family says
Due to allegations of imperial attack, Paul Chambers lost his job, passport, and visa.

As his lawful situation continues in a situation that has sparked problem in the US government, an British scholar is still in Thailand after prosecution dropped charges against him of insulting the king, his relatives said.
In a unique lese-majeste case involving a stranger, Paul Chambers, a professor on political science, was detained next month. According to a complaint made by the nationalist troops, he may spend up to 15 years in prison.
His brother, Kit Chambers, told Reuters,” He’s never allowed to leave the country, we’re not sure exactly why.” His nephew said that although his home in the US, including his 85-year-old family, believed that he would return home, he is still in legal limbo.
Although the state attorney dropped its claims two weeks ago, police was still pursue the case, which includes a cost of computer crime.
Mr. Chambers, 58, lost both his work and his work visa, and his card was taken. He contests his departure, has filed an appeal against the forfeiture of his passport, and denies the allegations.
According to a Chambers attorney, the allegations stem from a blurb from a speech at an online educational seminar. A research academy with a presence outside of Thailand was the subject of the paragraph next year.
political problem
As Bangkok seeks comfort from President Donald Trump’s export taxes, Mr. Chambers ‘ case was heighten tensions between Thailand and the US.
According to Kit Chambers, the case has attracted “very senior-level interest” from US authorities, who declined to name the officials he had spoken with.
These top officials “reassured me that if this problem is not resolved quickly, it could have an impact on trade deals with and/or Thailand,” he said.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio just criticized Thailand’s imprisonment of at least 40 Tamils to China and imposed restrictions on some Thai leaders.
The Chambers court’s impact on bilateral relations was not discussed by a State Department spokesperson, but the agency was awaiting a decision from the authorities to carry out the prosecutor’s request and soon dismiss the case. The event “reaffirms our long-standing concerns about the use of lese-majeste regulations in , Thailand,” according to the office.
The Thai Foreign Ministry and the US Trade Representatives ‘ Office declined to comment. A request for comment was never received by the White House.
Due to the ongoing legal procedure, Paul Chambers declined to get interviewed. The University of Narasuan declined to comment.
A lese-majeste law critique of the Thai monarchy, Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a Thai academic at Kyoto University, argued that Chambers ‘ case demonstrated that the lese-majeste legislation was” a legal tool that inflicts punishment by process” and could “paralyse life.”
” The harm is now done… his career has been disrupted, his constitutional position left in purgatory, and his ability to move freely properly revoked,” Mr. Pavin said.
A spokeswoman for the Thai government did not respond to a request for comment on Mr. Pavin’s claims right away.
Taboo debate
Police have the right to contest the prosecutors ‘ decision to drop the case. If so, the attorney general of Thailand would have the final say, according to Yaowalak Anuphan, the attorney general’s representative in charge of Mr. Chambers ‘ legal team.
She said,” The criminal case is never finished already.”
A police officer with knowledge of the situation, who declined to be identified because they were never permitted to speak to the media, claimed the situation was still being looked into.
The lese-majeste regulation has long been forbidden in open discussion.
The group that lost the Thai election in 2023 due to its legal battle wasdissolved last year by a court. According to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, 281 people have been accused of lese-majeste since anti-government protests in 2020 that included calling for the law to be overturned.
Among the 92 cases that judges have heard since then, the party reported that 53 ended in prison phrases and 14 ended with suspended sentences. In 18 situations, charges were dropped.
His brother said that Mr. Chambers ‘ household only wants him to return home as soon as possible.
He added,” Another worry is that this time around, when he is only in purgatory, there could be more false accusations against him.” That would place him right again where he started.