Paul Chambers awaits trial on charges under Thailand’s lese-majeste laws, which can lead to up to 15 years in prison.
Paul Chambers, an American lecturer at Thailand’s Naresuan University arrested over accusations of breaking Thailand’s strict royal defamation laws, has been released on bail, according to his lawyers.
The 58-year-old academic with more than 10 years of teaching experience in Thailand posted 300,000 baht ($8,800) for his release, his lawyers said on Thursday, two days after his detention in Phitsanulok province for alleged violation of the Thai lese-majeste laws. No trial date has been set.
The case is a rare instance of a foreigner falling foul of strict decades-old laws which shield from any criticism the royal family led by King Maha Vajiralongkorn. Critics say the laws, which can lead to up to 15 years in prison, are being used to silence dissent.
Chambers was kept in custody until late Wednesday evening while his lawyers negotiated with immigration authorities on his visa status.
“His legal team plan to appeal the visa revocation,” said the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights group, representing Chambers, in a post on X early on Thursday.
Wannaphat Jenroumjit, a lawyer from the group, said they expect to hear the result of Chambers’ appeal by Friday.
He will not be deported until the court process is complete, an immigration officer told the Reuters news agency on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to the media.
Chambers was taken into custody on Tuesday after reporting to authorities to answer a complaint filed by the army. Consequently, the immigration bureau revoked his visa.
The Thai military filed a complaint against him earlier this year over an online blurb for a podcast hosted by a think tank website that focuses on Southeast Asian politics and is published outside Thailand.
Chanatip Tatiyakaroonwong, a researcher at Amnesty International who campaigns for the release of political prisoners, said the visa revocation was meant to “intimidate”.
“The visa revocation is meant to send a message to foreign journalists and academics working in Thailand, that speaking about the monarchy could lead to consequences,” he told the AFP news agency.
In the United States, the State Department had expressed alarm over the arrest, saying it reinforced Washington’s longstanding concerns about Thailand’s use of the lese-majeste law, while urging authorities to “respect freedom of expression and to ensure that laws are not used to stifle permitted expression”.
International watchdogs have also expressed concern over the use of the 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 got 43 years 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.
Efforts have been made to reform the laws, but a Thai court ruled that those moves violate the country’s constitution.