A Thai court has issued an arrest warrant for American academic Paul Chambers on charges of lese majeste and alleged violations of Thailand’s computer crimes law, marking a rare instance of the country’s royal defamation law being used against a foreigner. The warrant, dated April 7, 2025, stems from charges filed by the Thai military, according to an official document reviewed by Reuters.
Chambers, a lecturer at Naresuan University in northern Thailand, is expected to report to police in Phitsanulok province on Tuesday, his lawyer confirmed. The allegations relate to an article posted online last year, though the precise content and reasoning behind the charges remain unclear.
Thailand’s lese majeste law, among the strictest in the world, imposes prison terms of up to 15 years for those found guilty of defaming or insulting the monarchy. The law has drawn increased scrutiny in recent years, particularly after a wave of youth-led protests in 2020 challenged long-standing taboos around discussing the monarchy. Since then, 278 individuals have been charged under the law, according to data from Thai Lawyers for Human Rights.
While some foreigners have previously faced lese majeste charges, the majority of cases involve Thai nationals. The recent action against Chambers has sparked concern among academics and human rights advocates.
The Southeast Asian Human Rights and Peace Studies Network (SEAHRN) issued a statement urging Thai authorities to drop the charges, warning that the criminalisation of scholarly expression undermines both educational and societal institutions.
Phil Robertson, a prominent human rights advocate and director of Asia Human Rights and Labour Advocates, criticised the warrant, warning that it could deter international academics from engaging in Thai studies. “This is an astonishing and outrageous assault on academic freedom,” Robertson said.
Chambers is a noted scholar of Thai politics and the military. His research often examines the Thai military’s role in governance and its influence compared to armed forces in other Southeast Asian nations.