Thai arrest warrant issued for US academic under ban on insulting royalty
A Thai court has issued an arrest warrant for an American academic under Thailand's lese-majeste law that forbids insulting the monarchy.
The army filed a complaint against Paul Chambers, a lecturer at Naresuan University in central Thailand, under lese-majeste and computer crime laws, according to his legal representation.
Mr Chambers and his lawyer are due to report to police on Tuesday, where charges are expected to be filed.
Akarachai Chaimaneekarakate, advocacy lead for the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights Centre representing Mr Chambers, told the BBC he did not know the reason for the complaint.
If convicted, Mr Chambers could face three to 15 years in prison for each lese-majeste count.
The BBC has contacted Royal Thai Police for comment.
It is rarer for the lese-majeste law to be used against foreigners, but it has happened before, Mr Akarachai said.
The army filed the complaint against Mr Chambers for "defamation, contempt or malice" towards the royal family, "importing false computer data" in a way "likely to damage national security or cause public panic", and disseminating computer data "that may affect national security", according to a letter from police received by the university's social sciences faculty on Friday, his legal representation said.
The court had already issued the arrest warrant on Monday, Thai Lawyers for Human Rights Centre added.
If charges are filed against Mr Chambers next Tuesday, police could release him on bail or detain him, in which case his lawyer would apply for bail.
Police will then investigate and if they believe he did commit the offense, pass a case along to prosecutors, who will decide whether to indict him.
According to his LinkedIn page, Mr Chambers first lived and worked in Thailand 30 years ago, and has spent years since then lecturing and researching in the country, including writing books on its military.
He has not received a subpoena before, his legal representation said.
Thailand's lese-majeste law has been in place since the creation of the country's first criminal code in 1908, although the penalty was toughened in 1976.
The government says the law is necessary to protect the monarchy. Critics say the law is used to clamp down on free speech.
Mr Akarachai told the BBC lese-majeste has been used more since student-led pro-democracy protests, which also targeted the monarchy, swept the country in 2020.
After months of protests, Thailand revived the lese-majeste law for the first time in more than two years.
Since late 2020, Thai Lawyers for Human Rights Centre has seen more than 300 cases of lese-majeste involving more than 270 people, including 20 children under the age of 18, Mr Akarachai said.
"When people take to the streets to demand monarchy reforms, they face the risk of political prosecution. Now, when academics write or discuss about those issues in academic settings, it seems they also face the same risk of political prosecution," he said.
Last year, a reformist political party was dissolved by court order after the court ruled the party's campaign promise to change lese-majeste was unconstitutional.
The European Parliament called on Thailand last month to reform the law, which it said was "among the strictest in the world", and grant amnesty to those prosecuted and imprisoned under it.
On Wednesday, Thai parliament is set to discuss the issue of amnesty bills, Mr Akarachai said.
Thailand's lese-majeste law explained
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
23 minutes ago
Members of the Fulbright scholarship board resign, accusing Trump of meddling
All 12 members of the board overseeing the prestigious Fulbright scholarships on Wednesday resigned in protest of what they call the Trump administration's meddling with the selection of award recipients, according to a statement. A statement published online by the board members said the administration usurped the board's authority by denying awards to 'a substantial number of people' who already had been chosen. Another 1,200 award recipients who were already approved to come to the U.S. are undergoing an unauthorized review process that could lead to their rejection, the board members said. 'To continue to serve after the Administration has consistently ignored the Board's request that they follow the law would risk legitimizing actions we believe are unlawful and damage the integrity of this storied program and America's credibility abroad,' the statement reads. Congress established the Fulbright program nearly 80 years ago to promote international exchange and American diplomacy. The highly selective program awards about 9,000 scholarships annually in the U.S. and in more than 160 other countries to students, scholars, and professionals in a range of fields. A message seeking comment was left with the State Department, which runs the scholarship program. The resignations were first reported by The New York Times. The intervention from the Trump administration undermined the program's merit-based selection process and its insulation from political influence, the board members wrote. 'We believe these actions not only contradict the statute but are antithetical to the Fulbright mission and the values, including free speech and academic freedom, that Congress specified in the statute,' the statement said. 'It is our sincere hope that Congress, the courts, and future Fulbright Boards will prevent the administration's efforts to degrade, dismantle, or even eliminate one of our nation's most respected and valuable programs.' Award recipients are selected in a yearlong process by nonpartisan staff at the State Department. The recipients who had their awards canceled are in fields including biology, engineering, medical sciences, and history, the board members said. The announcement comes as the Trump administration ratchets up scrutiny of international students on several fronts. The administration has expanded the grounds for revoking foreign students' legal status, and recently paused scheduling of new interviews for student visas as it increases vetting of their social media activity. The government also has moved to block foreign students from attending Harvard as it pressures the Ivy League school to adopt a series of reforms. ___ standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
‘A lie': Interview with released Milford teen casts doubt on ICE statements on arrest
An interview with Milford teenager Marcelo Gomes da Silva, recently released from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody, is casting doubt on several statements ICE made about the arrest. ICE had claimed Gomes da Silva was not the target of the arrest, and that ICE agents were after his father, João Paulo Gomes-Pereira. But Gomes da Silva said in an interview published by NBC News on Wednesday that ICE agents never asked him about his father or his family when he was arrested. He added that ICE agents knew his name, that he was 18 and that he was heading to school. 'He (the ICE agent) said I was an illegal immigrant and put me in the car. I was in complete shock,' Gomes da Silva said in the interview. 'I didn't cry, I wasn't angry or anything. I didn't understand what was happening, I didn't understand what I did wrong. I was clueless.' Gomes da Silva made local and national headlines after ICE agents arrested him on May 31. The 18-year-old was driving in a car with members of his volleyball team when ICE agents pulled him over and made the arrest. For six days, he was detained at an ICE field office in Burlington. On June 5, an immigration judge ordered Gomes da Silva be granted bond, and he was subsequently released from custody. Todd Lyons, acting director of ICE, said during a press conference in Boston on June 2 that ICE agents stopped the car Gomes da Silva was in because it was his father's car. 'We were looking for his father — obviously, he's the father of the year, because he brought his son up here illegally as well," Lyons said June 2. In addition to new questions about whether the father was the target of the ICE action, the other part of Lyons' statement — that Gomes da Silva was brought to the U.S. illegally — is also in dispute. Gomes da Silva's attorney, Robin Nice, said on June 5 that the teen had come to the U.S. from Brazil on a visitor visa when he was younger than 7. The visitor visa had turned into a student visa, which had lapsed years ago. She added that Gomes da Silva has an asylum application pending. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that officials were looking for Gomes-Pereira because he had been identified as a 'known public safety threat' — a statement Gomes da Silva forcefully disputed. McLaughlin said that local authorities notified ICE that Gomes-Pereira drove at speeds over 100 mph through residential areas, 'endangering Massachusetts residents.' 'First of all, it's completely impossible to drive 100 mph in a residential area,' Gomes da Silva told NBC. 'They could have at least thought a little bit harder to make up a lie.' Read more: Milford High student released from ICE detention: 'Nobody should be in here' The 18-year-old also said his father has to stay home out of fear of being arrested but that his lawyers are working to address the situation. Gomes da Silva told NBC that he was born in Brazil but that he grew up in an American environment. He added that he wants to become an American citizen and stay in the country. Milford Police Chief Robert Tusino told MassLive on Wednesday that he was upset about Gomes da Silva's arrest, stating it compromises ongoing investigations within the community. 'It harms the migrant community's willingness to come forward and disclose crimes to the police,' he said. Tusino said he could not comment about whether Milford Police passed on information to federal authorities about Gomes da Silva's father. 'Milford police only assist ice with criminal arrests, not civil detainers and not illegal entry,' Tusino said. He added that Gomes da Silva was never part of any criminal investigation. A spokesperson for ICE did not provide comment as to whether they are still seeking to arrest Gomes da Silva's father. It was a normal day for Gomes da Silva as he returned to Milford High School Tuesday, according to his friend Fiona Lentini — as much as it could be after the teen was detained recently by federal immigration officials for almost a week. The two spoke for five minutes before classes, chatting about plans to play volleyball soon, Lentini told MassLive Tuesday. A sophomore at the high school, Lentini said her friend seemed happy to be back in school. 'He's good,' she said about Gomes da Silva. 'Same old Marcelo.' On Tuesday, Gomes da Silva returned to Milford High School to continue the remainder of his junior year, according to Lentini. She said it was nice to see her friend again. What Gomes da Silva is most excited about is to play volleyball again this summer, she said. 'Playing volleyball just brings us all closer since we all connect about our love for the sport,' Lentini said. 'My cousin has a net and in the summer we play there.' Gomes da Silva also got to see his girlfriend graduate from Milford High School last weekend, according to his cousin, Marcelo Bastos. Bastos told MassLive Tuesday that Gomes da Silva's mother, father and two younger siblings are also safe, with all five still living in Milford. 'They're pretty much OK,' Bastos said. 'There's no problem.' Bastos told MassLive that Gomes da Silva's father and mother were not born in America but Gomes da Silva's younger siblings were. He added that Nice plans to submit paperwork that would allow the mother and father to go outside their house without fear of arrest. He did not know what the paperwork in question was. Nice did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday and Wednesday. As the family remains home, Bastos has been trying to help by delivering and leaving food and water at their doorstep. He added that the family's neighbors have also been making deliveries to their house, bringing them food, flowers and money. 'Everybody's doing a little bit,' he said. 'We do good.' Lentini said that her friend is happy to be back with his family but said it is hard knowing that his parents are still possibly in danger. 'Obviously, it's devastating to have to worry that your family may be torn apart,' she said. Anti-ICE protesters shut down Worcester City Council meeting Nate Eaton powers Worcester Red Sox to eighth consecutive win Horse racing ban in Central Mass. city looks to clear next hurdle Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Judge sides with city of Austin in lawsuit involving former American-Statesman site
A judge this week ruled in favor of the city of Austin in a case involving the former American-Statesman site just south of downtown along Lady Bird Lake. The ruling denied a motion for summary judgment in a lawsuit filed by the Save Our Springs Alliance, an environmental watchdog group. The lawsuit alleged that the Austin City Council violated key provisions of the Texas Open Meetings Act in 2022 when it approved a special type of zoning known as a planned unit development, or PUD, for the former Statesman site. The lawsuit sought to void the council's Dec. 2, 2022 vote to approve the PUD, based on the alleged open meetings violations. The Statesman moved several years ago from the site at 305 S. Congress Ave. to a new location near the airport. In arguing their case before District Judge Jan Soifer on May 15, Save Our Springs attorneys Bobby Levinski and Bill Bunch contended that the council granted the PUD zoning in violation of two key mandates of the Texas Open Meetings Act: proper public notice, and a reasonable opportunity for the public to speak before the vote was taken. Levinski said today that the Save Our Springs Alliance might appeal the ruling. "Given the importance of this case for governmental transparency and proper enforcement of the Texas Open Meetings Act, we'll be evaluating our options for appeal," Levinski said. "This case ultimately impacts the ability of residents to weigh in on important matters that affect their community, including the relocation of the Hike and Bike Trail and removal of the natural, tree-lined aesthetic of the Lady Bird Lake shoreline. Every case has its challenges, and we may need to work on it a little longer to ultimately prevail." More: Lawsuit seeks to halt planned redevelopment of former Statesman site on Lady Bird Lake Casey Dobson and Sara Wilder Clark represented the landowner, the Cox family of Atlanta, along with Austin-based Endeavor Real Estate Group. The Cox family hired Endeavor several years ago to create plans to redevelop the prime waterfront site. The site formerly housed the newspaper offices and printing plant. Cox sold the Statesman but retained ownership of the 18.9-acre site, a property many developers had long coveted and said was ripe for new development. Dobson did not immediately respond to an email for comment about the ruling and what it means for future plans to transform the property into a mixed-use project with high-rise buildings and other uses, which could include housing, office and retail development. Richard Suttle Jr., an Austin attorney and the spokesperson for the planned redevelopment, said he hasn't seen a final judgment yet in the case, so couldn't comment on what it might mean for the future planned redevelopment. Dan Richards represented the city in the lawsuit. Richards said Soifer's ruling, signed Monday, means "the trial court case is basically over." At last month's hearing, Richards told Soifer that voiding the PUD could jeopardize the developer's ability, in the current economic climate, to secure a new amendment offering the same level of community benefits — such as 6.5 acres of green space — at the site. At the same hearing, Dobson and Wilder Clark said the PUD zoning change was properly noticed, and the public was given sufficient opportunity to speak at nine different meetings. However, Levinski said that, while the PUD was listed on the council agenda as a zoning item, that posting was misleading because it failed to provide "full disclosure of the subjects to be discussed." The proposed PUD ordinance encompassed "numerous provisions that extend well beyond traditional zoning regulations," Levinski told Soifer. Those included "sweeping changes" to environmental protections and other city land-use codes, including a failure to disclose height limits, setbacks and the elimination of two restrictive covenants. "There are so many different parts of this (PUD) ordinance that are not zoning, yet it was sold to public as a rezoning," Levinski said. The zoning changes included modifications to the Lady Bird Lake shoreline; the relocation of the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail inland away from the lake; the removal of more than 90 mature trees; code waivers; and "amendments to almost every chapter of Austin's land development code," Levinski told Soifer. In arguing their case before Soifer, Leviniski and Bunch said that the Texas Open Meetings Act requires a public notice identifying these major changes to city standards and a public 'right to speak' on them before council granted the approvals. The Cox owners and Endeavor have the right to build high-rises — up to 725 feet tall — within 140 feet of Lady Bird Lake. The development would be "forever exempt from a plethora of water quality, parkland and lakeshore rules and regulations," according to the Save Our Springs Alliance. "The key here is the Statesman PUD went beyond zoning," Levinski said. "This didn't give sufficient notice to the public to say what is occurring with this zoning." Among other issues, he said the PUD included "non-zoning provisions, including items the council doesn't have authority over." There was a way the city could have described with greater detail what was occurring with the zoning case, "but they chose not to, and it's deceptive that they chose not to," Levinski said. The level of specificity "gets enhanced" when the issue involves matters of "significant public interest," Levinski said. "It's not enough to rely on the assumption that the general public may have knowledge of the subject matter." Dobson and Wilder Clark, however, told Soifer that the public notices complied with the Texas Open Meetings Act. The notices properly and adequately disclosed the subject of the PUD at various meetings on the council's printed public agenda, Dobson and Wilder Clark said. Moreover, all the details that Save Our Springs claims were lacking from the notice were available at "the click of a link" in backup materials on the council's online agenda, Wilder Clark said. "Not only did (the public) get to talk in meetings, but they got to submit written testimony," Wilder Clark said. She also noted that the council postponed meetings on the case. Showing slides of newspaper articles, Dobson said the proposed redevelopment of the Statesman site was front-page news. He said the case was "noticed out of the wazoo." "(Opponents) think this was done in the dark of night, with adequate notice to nobody," Dobson said. "In fact, the polar opposite happened." Dobson said no special notice was required, and opponents "didn't need it. They wrote letters, they spoke at length to (the city) Planning Commission and City Council. This did not take place under the shroud of secrecy," Dobson said. Countering the city's arguments, Bunch said the city "invented out of whole cloth" its position that it upheld the open meetings act, saying "there's no support for that in the entire body of open meetings cases." Early in the hearing, Dobson showed a photo of the current Statesman site "in all its glory," showing a low-slung building surrounded by a near vacant parking lot with lots of asphalt and concrete. Attorneys for the city and the developer stated that "virtually no one" opposes the proposed development, which may include condominiums, apartments, a hotel, office space and retail areas. Noting the site's popularity as a prime location for viewing the famed bat colony under the Ann Richards Congress Avenue Bridge, they emphasized the new development will enhance the bat viewing area. Additionally, they said the project has the support of bat conservation groups. Last year, the Save Our Springs Alliance won a lawsuit contesting the city's creation of a special financing district, a so-called tax increment reinvestment zone, to fund infrastructure improvements within the proposed Statesman redevelopment project. A judge ruled that financing method unlawful. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Judge rules for city in case involving former Statesman site
