Concerns on academic freedom voiced as US lecturer charged with lese majeste

Since an American academic with expertise in Thai military affairs was charged with violating the lese majeste law, Article 112 of the Penal Code, criticism has emerged over the state of academic freedom in Thailand.

Napisa Waitoolkiat, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at Naresuan University in Phitsanulok province, said on Tuesday that academic freedom in Thailand is increasingly constrained following the charge against her colleague, Paul Chambers, a fellow lecturer at the university, who was charged under the lese majeste law and the Computer Crime Act.

“This accusation is serious, lacks evidence, causes damage, wastes time, serves as intimidation, and deprives academics of the freedom to conduct research,” Napisa said.

The Royal Thai Army’s Third Army Region filed the charges against Chambers with the Phitsanulok Provincial Court, alleging that he had “defamed, insulted, or shown malice toward the King, Queen, their heirs,” and had “imported false data into a computer system likely to affect national security or cause public panic.”

An arrest warrant was issued last Friday. Chambers reported to Phitsanulok police on Tuesday, but was denied bail and taken to court.

Napisa expressed concern about the legitimacy of the arrest, noting that no summons had been issued before the warrant.

She suggested that Chambers’s academic work on military affairs may have displeased the military and prompted the action.

She said she believes Chambers is innocent.

Chambers is well known for his work on Thai politics, particularly the military’s role in governance and comparative politics. He has held visiting academic positions at institutions including Heidelberg University and the German Institute of Global and Area Studies.

He is the author of Democratisation Interrupted: The Parallel State and the Demise of Democracy in Thailand and Khaki Capital: The Political Economy of the Military in Southeast Asia.

An appeal for bail is currently being submitted to the court.