Latest news with #InternalSecurityOperationsCommand
Bangkok Post
28-06-2025
- Bangkok Post
Security tightened on Koh Samui after Phuket incidents
Authorities on Koh Samui have ramped up security measures, inspecting all vehicles and individuals arriving on the island following following the discovery of several suspected explosive devices in the southern tourist provinces of Phuket and Krabi. Police, military and local administrative officials have joined forces to prevent any potential threats from spreading to the popular tourist destination in Surat Thani province. At the island's ferry terminal on Saturday, all vehicles and passengers arriving from the mainland were being thoroughly screened by local police, working alongside immigration officers, tourist police and soldiers from the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) Region 4. The heightened security comes in response to a series of incidents in Phuket and Krabi, many of which appeared to be connected and part of a broader attempt to destabilise southern provinces, authorities said. The incidents included the discovery of a suspected explosive device in a motorcycle abandoned near the terminal at Phuket International Airport. A handful of other suspicious objects were found on popular beaches and tourist sites in Phuket and Krabi. All were safely neutralised by explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) teams. Pol Lt Gen Surapong Thanomjit, commissioner of Provincial Police Region 8, instructed all police stations in vulnerable zones to increase vigilance. In addition to inspecting every vehicle disembarking from ferries, officers on Koh Samui are monitoring individuals who may pose a threat. Additional checkpoints have been established along the island's ring road and at piers where tourists travel to nearby islands such as Koh Phangan and Koh Tao, both major attractions in Surat Thani. In a parallel effort, district officials and military personnel visited Nurul Ihsan Mosque in Maret subdistrict to meet with local Islamic leaders. They requested cooperation in identifying outsiders or suspicious individuals who may have recently moved into the community. Authorities have also urged the public to report any unusual objects or unattended items, especially in tourist hotspots. Residents are encouraged to contact police immediately if they notice anything out of place, as a precaution against potential attacks.
The Star
25-06-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Thai Army chief orders Internal Security Operations Command to support operations along Cambodian border
BANGKOK: Army chief General Pana Klaewplodthuk on Wednesday (June 25) directed the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) to support the operations of the First and Second Army Areas in maintaining security along the Thai-Cambodian border. The order was issued as Gen Pana chaired a meeting with ISOC and its affiliated agencies at the ISOC headquarters. The army chief serves as the ex-officio deputy director of ISOC, while the prime minister is the ex-officio director. Senior military officials in attendance included Gen Ekkarat Changkaew, assistant ISOC director; Gen Thongchai Rodyoi, ISOC secretary-general; and Maj Gen Thammanoon Maisont, ISOC spokesman. According to Maj Gen Thammanoon, the army chief instructed ISOC to utilise its regional and provincial branches to reinforce and support the First and Second Army Areas, which are responsible for defending Thai territory along the eastern border. Psychological operations and intelligence support ordered Gen Pana also directed ISOC to conduct psychological operations to engage with and gain the trust of local communities, encouraging their cooperation with military security efforts along the border. He further ordered ISOC to mobilise its intelligence network to support security operations on both the eastern and southern borders. This includes efforts to prevent the smuggling of migrant workers and to counteract groups with malicious intent against the state. Community networks to play key role The army chief instructed ISOC to make full use of its community-based mass networks to gather early warning information and support proactive territorial defence by the army. These directives followed briefings from ISOC-affiliated agencies detailing their support for the government's ongoing crackdown on online scam gangs operating from Cambodia. The agencies also reported successes in intercepting drug smuggling operations along both the eastern and southern borders. - The Nation/ANN
29-05-2025
- Politics
US scholar leaves Thailand after charges of insulting monarchy are dropped
BANGKOK -- Thailand's attorney general's office has confirmed that it will not prosecute an American academic arrested in early April on a charge of royal defamation, his lawyer said Thursday. The offense is punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Paul Chambers, who had been employed as a political science lecturer at Naresuan University in the northern province of Phitsanulok, departed Thailand after the ruling, said his lawyer, Akarachai Chaimaneekarakate, who declined to reveal his destination. The attorney general's office had already announced on May 1 that it did not intend to press charges against 58-year-old Chambers, an Oklahoma native, due to lack of evidence. But it had allowed the police in northern Thailand, which originally handled the case, to review its decision. The group Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, which aided Chambers' defense, said on its website that police contested the decision, which was then referred back to the attorney general, who in turn reaffirmed his own office's decision to drop charges. An appeal of the revocation of Chambers' Thai visa, and another contesting his firing by Naresuan University are still pending, Akarachai said. Chambers' arrest drew concern from the academic community, especially from Asian scholars around the world, as well as from the U.S. government over free speech restrictions. Thailand's lese majeste law calls for 3-15 years imprisonment for anyone who defames, insults or threatens the king, the queen, the heir apparent or the regent. Critics say it is among the harshest such laws anywhere and has also been used to punish critics of the government and the military. The monarchy has long been considered a pillar of Thai society and criticizing it used to be strictly taboo. Conservative Thais, especially in the military and courts, still consider it untouchable. Chambers has specialized in studying the power and influence of the Thai military, which plays a major role in politics. It has staged 13 coups since Thailand became a constitutional monarchy in 1932, most recently 11 years ago. He was arrested on a complaint made by the northern regional office of the army's Internal Security Operations Command. One of its officers told a parliamentary inquiry that it filed the complaint based on a Facebook post that translated words from a website operated by ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute, a think tank in Singapore, about a webinar on Thai politics that included as Chambers as a participant.
NBC News
02-05-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Prosecutors in Thailand say they won't pursue royal defamation case against U.S. scholar
BANGKOK — State prosecutors in Thailand said Thursday that they don't intend to press charges against an American academic arrested for royal defamation, an offense punishable by up to 15 years in prison. The arrest last month of Paul Chambers, a political science lecturer at Naresuan University in the northern province of Phitsanulok, had drawn concern from the academic community, especially from Asian studies scholars around the world, as well as the U.S. government. The decision not to prosecute Chambers, a 58-year-old Oklahoma native, does not immediately clear him of the charge of insulting the monarchy — also known as 'lèse majesté' — or a related charge of violating the Computer Crime Act, which covers online activities. The announcement said that the Phitsanulok provincial prosecutor will request the provincial court to drop the charges and forward the case file and nonprosecution order to the commissioner of Provincial Police Region 6, covering Phitsanulok, who may review and contest the decision. Chambers, who has a doctorate in political science from Northern Illinois University, was arrested in early April on a complaint made by the northern regional office of the army's Internal Security Operations Command. He has studied the power and influence of the Thai military, which plays a major role in politics. It has staged 13 coups since Thailand became a constitutional monarchy in 1932, most recently 11 years ago. The army's Internal Security Operations Command told a parliamentary inquiry that it filed the complaint based on a Facebook post that translated words from a website operated by ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute, a think tank in Singapore, about a webinar on Thai politics that included Chambers as a participant. Chambers' supporters said that the blurb for the webinar, which was cited in his charge sheet as evidence, was not written by him. He had been jailed in April for two nights after reporting himself to the Phitsanulok police, and then granted release on bail, with several conditions, including wearing an ankle monitor. A court on Tuesday allowed him to take off the device. Chambers' visa was revoked at the time of his arrest on the basis of an immigration law barring entry to foreigners who are deemed likely to engage in activities contrary to public order or good morals, prostitution, people smuggling and drug trafficking. It was not immediately clear whether the revocation will stand. 'This case reinforces our longstanding concerns about the use of lèse majesté laws in Thailand,' the U.S. State Department said after Chambers' arrest. 'We continue to urge Thai authorities to respect freedom of expression and to ensure that laws are not used to stifle permitted expression.' Thailand's lèse majesté law calls for three to 15 years' imprisonment for anyone who defames, insults or threatens the king, the queen, the heir apparent or the regent. Critics say it is among the harshest such laws anywhere and also has been used to punish critics of the government and the military. The monarchy has long been considered a pillar of Thai society and criticizing it used to be strictly taboo. Conservative Thais, especially in the military and courts, still consider it untouchable. However, public debate on the topic has grown louder in the past decade, particularly among young people, and student-led pro-democracy protests starting in 2020 began openly criticizing the institution. That led to vigorous prosecutions under the previously little-used law. The legal aid group Thai Lawyers for Human Rights has said that since early 2020, more than 270 people — many of them student activists — have been charged with violating the law.
Asahi Shimbun
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Asahi Shimbun
Prosecutors in Thailand say they won't pursue royal defamation case against U.S. scholar
U.S. political science lecturer Paul Chambers, left, of Thailand's Naresuan University, stands outside the police station in Phitsanulok, Thailand, where he was arrested on charges of insulting the monarchy. (AP Photo) BANGKOK--State prosecutors in Thailand announced Thursday that they don't intend to press charges against an American academic arrested for royal defamation, an offense punishable by up to 15 years in prison. The arrest last month of Paul Chambers, a political science lecturer at Naresuan University in the northern province of Phitsanulok, had drawn concern from the academic community, especially from Asian studies scholars around the world, as well as the U.S. government The decision not to prosecute the 58-year-old Oklahoma native doesn't immediately clear him of the charge of insulting the monarchy— also known as 'lèse majesté' — or a related charge of violating the Computer Crime Act, which covers online activities. The announcement said that the Phitsanulok provincial prosecutor will request the provincial court to drop the charges and forward the case file and nonprosecution order to the commissioner of Provincial Police Region 6, covering Phitsanulok, who may review and contest the decision. Chambers, a 58-year-old Oklahoma native with a doctorate in political science from Northern Illinois University, was arrested in early April on a complaint made by the northern regional office of the army's Internal Security Operations Command. He has studied the power and influence of the Thai military, which plays a major role in politics. It has staged 13 coups since Thailand became a constitutional monarchy in 1932, most recently 11 years ago. The army's Internal Security Operations Command told a parliamentary inquiry that it filed the complaint based on a Facebook post that translated words from a website operated by ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute, a think tank in Singapore, about a webinar on Thai politics that included Chambers as a participant. Chambers' supporters said that the blurb for the webinar, which was cited in his charge sheet as evidence, wasn't written by him. He had been jailed in April for two nights after reporting himself to the Phitsanulok police, and then granted release on bail, with several conditions, including wearing an ankle monitor. A court on Tuesday allowed him to take off the device. Chambers' visa was revoked at the time of his arrest on the basis of an immigration law barring entry to foreigners who are deemed likely to engage in activities contrary to public order or good morals, prostitution, people smuggling and drug trafficking. It wasn't immediately clear whether the revocation will stand. 'This case reinforces our longstanding concerns about the use of lèse majesté laws in Thailand,' a U.S. State Department statement said after Chambers' arrest. 'We continue to urge Thai authorities to respect freedom of expression and to ensure that laws are not used to stifle permitted expression.' Thailand's lèse majesté law calls for three to 15 years imprisonment for anyone who defames, insults or threatens the king, the queen, the heir apparent or the regent. Critics say it's among the harshest such laws anywhere and also has been used to punish critics of the government and the military. The monarchy has long been considered a pillar of Thai society and criticizing it used to be strictly taboo. Conservative Thais, especially in the military and courts, still consider it untouchable. However, public debate on the topic has grown louder in the past decade, particularly among young people, and student-led pro-democracy protests starting in 2020 began openly criticizing the institution. That led to vigorous prosecutions under the previously little-used law. The legal aid group Thai Lawyers for Human Rights has said that since early 2020, more than 270 people — many of them student activists — have been charged with violating the law.
