Thailand drops lese-majeste case against US academic Paul Chambers
BANGKOK, May 1 — Thai prosecutors dropped royal defamation charges today against an American scholar accused of insulting the monarchy over an article published on a political website.
Paul Chambers — a longtime South-east Asia politics scholar in Thailand — was arrested last month in Phitsanulok province, north of Bangkok, under the kingdom's strict lese-majeste laws.
The case marked a rare instance of a foreign national being charged under Thailand's lese-majeste 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 lese-majeste laws — known as Article 112 — against academics, activists and even students.
One man in northern Thailand was jailed for at least 50 years for lese-majeste 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. — AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
21 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
Dozens arrested for Indonesian love scam ring targeting American men
DENPASAR, Indonesia: Indonesian police have arrested dozens on the popular resort island of Bali for allegedly running a love scam syndicate targeting American men, they said Wednesday. Police made the arrests after being tipped off about suspicious activity at a rented home in Denpasar, the island's capital. A total of 38 suspects, seven of them women, were arrested. "The suspects arrested worked as operators whose job is to find the love scam victims; they targeted Americans who have a Telegram account," Bali police chief Daniel Adityajaya told a press conference. "They pretended to be women by using women's pictures and fake identity to ensnare their victims." The suspects confessed they were working for someone who controlled the business from Cambodia to lure American men into handing over sensitive information, Daniel said. They chatted up their victims through the Telegram messenger app and sent them fake links. The suspects were paid US$200 each per month to steal the victims' data and information, Daniel said. Police initially detained nine suspects together, leading to the arrest of the others accused of a role in the syndicate. The suspects, all Indonesians, face up to 12 years in prison if found guilty of violating the country's electronic transaction law. Police had previously said many scammers had moved to Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries after China cracked down on domestic networks. In 2019, Indonesian police arrested 85 Chinese nationals and six Indonesians over an online scam that tricked victims out of millions of US dollars. In 2023, they arrested 88 Chinese nationals in Batam, in the Indonesian province of Riau Islands, for running a syndicate that had scammed hundreds of victims in China by luring them into sexual acts and then blackmailing them with video footage. Many of the victims were public officials, police said.
The Sun
36 minutes ago
- The Sun
French teens on trial in France over rape of Jewish girl
PARIS: Three French boys went on trial Wednesday charged with the gang rape of a 12-year-old Jewish girl in 2024 outside Paris, a crime that shocked the Jewish community at a time of rising anti-Semitic attacks. The trial, which is due to last until Friday, is being held at a juvenile court in Nanterre, a suburb of western Paris. Two boys, aged 13 at the time, are being tried on charges of the gang rape of a minor on religious grounds. The third, then aged 12, is accused of being complicit in the crime. All three boys are charged with sexual assault on a minor as well as recording and sharing sexual images, aggravated by being committed on religious grounds. The girl told police she was approached by the three boys on June 15, 2024, whilst in a park near her home in the northwestern Paris suburb of Courbevoie, close to the La Defense financial district. She was dragged into a shed where the suspects beat her and 'forced' her to have sex 'while uttering death threats and anti-Semitic remarks', one police source had told AFP. The victim told investigators the boys had called her a 'dirty Jew' and asked her questions about 'her Jewish religion' and Israel. The rape was filmed by one boy, and another threatened to kill the girl if she reported the ordeal to authorities, police sources said. The attack had shocked the Jewish community in France and was unanimously condemned by politicians. At the time, President Emmanuel Macron had denounced the 'scourge' of anti-Semitism. Several demonstrations in support of the victim had taken place in Paris and in Courbevoie. Reported anti-Semitic acts in France surged from 436 in 2022 to 1,676 in 2023, before dipping slightly to 1,570 last year, according to the interior ministry. Jewish groups have said that the number of such attacks has surged following the attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023 which was followed by Israel's bombardment of the Gaza Strip and aid blockade. 'Firstly, our client expects that the aggressors will be punished for what they did and that the punishment in in line with the gravity of their actions,' Muriel Ouaknine-Melki, one of the victim's lawyers, told the court on Wednesday. 'And secondly, she is looking for answers about what happened. Why this outburst of violence?' said Ouaknine-Melki. 'As we all know, there is an explosion of anti-Semitic acts in France,' added Oudy Bloch, another one of the girl's lawyers. 'Our young client suffered a year of anti-Semitic bullying at school before she was attacked, and she wants this rise in anti-Semitism to be taken into account and that the government acts,' he added. Clementine Berthier, the defence lawyer for one of the suspects, said she hoped 'the trial would be serene and peaceful for all parties'.
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Asean nations brace for Trump tariffs with bold stimulus packages
- Illustrative photo: The Nation/ANN BANGKOK: Southeast Asian nations are rolling out ambitious economic stimulus measures as they prepare for the potentially far-reaching impact of President Donald Trump's trade protectionism. Countries including Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam are initiating substantial spending programmes, aiming to safeguard consumer purchasing power and spur growth, even as they acknowledge the associated risks of escalating national debt and potential cuts to government revenue. According to Nikkei Asia, countries across the region are swiftly implementing what are being termed "large-scale economic stimulus measures" to counter the widespread effects of Trump's proposed tariff hikes. In Indonesia, President Prabowo Subianto's government has unveiled a colossal 24.44 trillion Rupiah (approximately US$1.30 billion) stimulus package. This marks a significant pivot from earlier plans this year to slash 306 trillion Rupiah from the budget, initially earmarked for a free school lunch programme. As part of the new initiative, around 18 million predominantly low-income citizens are set to receive 300,000 Rupiah in cash aid in June and July, alongside a monthly allocation of 10 kilograms of rice. The government is also planning substantial reductions in public transport fares, including a 30% cut for train tickets. Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati stated that these measures are designed to preserve citizens' purchasing power and promote economic expansion. Indonesia has recently grappled with the effects of fiscal austerity, with its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growing by a mere 4.87% year-on-year in the first quarter – its weakest performance since Q3 2021 – attributed to declining middle-class consumption. The capital, Jakarta, has also seen hotel occupancy rates plummet by over 90% from pre-pandemic levels, while infrastructure spending has been significantly curtailed, leading to delays in highway construction projects. Elsewhere in the region, Singapore has revised down its GDP growth forecast for the current year to between 0% and 2%, a decrease from its earlier projection of 1% to 3%. Thailand has similarly adjusted its GDP estimates downwards, now projecting growth between 1.3% and 2.3%, a drop from its previous forecast of 2.3% to 3.3%. Last month, the Thai cabinet approved a 157 billion baht (approximately US$4.19 billion) budget to boost tourism and fund infrastructure projects like railways and roads. To secure funding for this package, the government has taken the decision to partially postpone its controversial 10,000 baht digital money handout scheme. Economists in Thailand are wary, as the nation's household debt approaches 90% of GDP, fearing that further stimulus could exacerbate debt levels and restrict the government's policy flexibility. In Malaysia, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced a RM1.5 billion (approximately US$317.5 million) support package in May, aimed at assisting small and medium-sized enterprises through low-interest loans and government-backed credit guarantees. Meanwhile, Vietnam is considering extending its Value Added Tax (VAT) reduction for an additional 18 months beyond its scheduled June expiry. However, concerns have been raised that prolonging the tax cut could negatively impact state revenue. - The Nation/ANN
