
Thai prosecutors drop case against US academic accused of insulting royalty
Thai prosecutors have said they will not pursue charges against an American academic who was arrested last month under a strict law against defaming the monarchy.Paul Chambers, a lecturer at Naresuan University, was arrested after the army filed a complaint against him.On Thursday, prosecutors said they would request for charges against him to be dropped, though this has to be reviewed by the police. If they disagree, the decision will fall to the attorney-general. Mr Chambers' arrest marked a rare instance of a foreigner being charged under the lese-majeste law, which the government says is necessary to protect the monarchy but critics say is used to clamp down on free speech.
"The director-general had decided not to indict the suspect," said the Office of the Attorney-General, adding that prosecutors would seek to dismiss the case in court and coordinate with police.Mr Chambers first lived and worked in Thailand 30 years ago, and in recent years has been lecturing and researching at Naresuan University in northern Thailand. He is one of the world's foremost experts on the Thai military.The complaint against him centres on a notice for an academic webinar organised by a Singapore research institute about Thailand's military and police reshuffles. Mr Chambers was one of the webinar's speakers.The army had accused Mr Chambers of "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 that was received by the university's social sciences faculty. Mr Chambers stated that he did not write or publish the notice for the webinar. The army based its complaint on a Facebook post by a Thai royalist, who translated the webinar notice into Thai.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.Since late 2020, the legal aid group Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) has seen more than 300 cases of lese-majeste involving more than 270 people, including 20 children under the age of 18, said Akarachai Chaimaneekarakate, the group's advocacy lead.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.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Belfast Telegraph
an hour ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Moldovan courier company advertising people trafficking services on Facebook, Belfast court hears
A Moldovan-based courier company advertising on Facebook is at the centre of an investigation into a suspected people smuggling operation, the High Court heard today. Prosecutors said two men and a woman working for the firm were stopped at Belfast port in a van carrying Romanian nationals who were illegally in the United Kingdom.


Spectator
an hour ago
- Spectator
The LA immigration riots are US politics at its worst
This weekend's immigration protests in LA showed every element in American politics at its absolute worst. The right was rabidly xenophobic, President Trump belligerent and authoritarian. Democratic leadership clueless, unfocused, weak and in denial – and the left manipulative and deliberately violent. Anyone with a whit of sense stayed as far away from the proceedings as possible. The right does no one any favours when they discuss America's immigration problems as a war for the future of civilisation. Maybe in the case of the Egyptian national who torched elderly Jewish people in Boulder last weekend, they have a point, but not when it comes to the quotidian ICE immigration operation that just went down in LA. But opposing that operation isn't exactly something on which the left should hang its balaclava either. Judging from the vociferous weekend-long passion play we saw unfold, you'd think that ICE had loaded the residents of an orphanage or a nunnery into a van, gouged out their eyes, and sent them to a windowless dungeon.

Leader Live
an hour ago
- Leader Live
Holywell: Father Dominic Cawdell set for final service
Father Dominic Cawdell, as well as wardens and church officers, are among those set to leave the Holywell and Greenfield Churches community in coming weeks. Father Cawdell sent a letter of resignation as vicar of those areas to the Bishop of St. Asaph. He announced his decision during Sunday Eucharist services at St Peter's, Holywell, and Holy Trinity, Greenfield. A post, now deleted, from the Holywell and Greenfield Churches Facebook page stated that the 'situation has become toxic for everyone involved' and 'there seems to be no clear end in sight'. Father Cawdell has decided to step down for 'the sake of his physical and mental wellbeing'. TOP STORIES TODAY It has now been confirmed that he will take his last Sunday Service on June 29. A statement from Holywell and Greenfield Churches read: "It was announced today that Father Dominic's Last Sunday Service as Vicar of Holywell will be 11am on 29th June in St Peter's Church - followed by a Bring and Share Lunch." News of the vicar's departure has been met with disappointment from the community. Many people have described him as a 'wonderful man' and a number of fundraisers have also been set up to support him upon his departure. A spokesperson for the Diocese of St Asaph previously said: 'The Bishop and his senior staff have been engaged with a challenging and sensitive situation in the churches in Holywell and the Estuary and Mountain Mission Area for some time. "They continue to be committed to resolving the issues, with the wellbeing of all involved being the paramount concern. For that reason, it would be inappropriate to comment publicly on any details.'