Absence of Connection Established between Lese-Majeste Legal Proceedings and Halted Thai-US Trade Negotiations
Rewritten Article:
Amidst swirling rumors, the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) flatly denies any connection between the lese-majeste charges slapped on an American scholar, Paul Chambers, and the stalled US-Thai trade negotiations.
An Isoc representative quipped that the concurrent filing of charges against Chambers and Thailand's efforts to persuade the US to ease oppressive tariffs was strictly a coincidence.
Ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra weighed in on the issue on a weekend rant, stating vaguely that legal cases against specific American citizens might be partly causing the postponement of the April 23 negotiations in Washington. Thaksin, as usual, provided no details. The speculation machine quickly cranked up, zeroing in on the Chambers case. The US State Department produced a statement expressing alarm over the case's potential impact on academic freedom in Thailand.
Maj Gen Thammanoon Maison from Isoc Region 3 confirmed that lese-majeste and computer crime complaints were made in Phitsanulok province, following a relevant petition, and the discovery of an act potentially breaching Section 112 of the Criminal Code, the lese-majeste law. Isoc's duty, according to Maison, is to protect national institutions and take necessary actions against any act offending royalty, regardless of the nationality of the perpetrator.
The complaint is reportedly linked to an academic webinar organized by the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, which listed Chambers, a Thai military and police reshuffle expert, as a speaker. However, Chambers denies any involvement in the controversial text, which was promptly removed from the Institute's website.
The prosecution of Chambers follows standard legal procedures and the rule of law, insists Maison. The public should await a verdict from the justice system and abide by it, he advises.
Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, who oversees security matters, reveals that officials handling the Chambers case have been careful to safeguard international relations. Phumtham promises that if Chambers is found innocent, he shall be released. If guilty, he will face legal consequences.
Chambers, a lecturer and international affairs advisor at Naresuan University in Phitsanulok, was charged this month under the lese-majeste law, punishable by 3-15 years in prison. After a brief stint in detention, he was granted bail, albeit under electronic monitoring. On Monday, he petitioned the Phitsanulok court to remove the device, claiming no intentions to abscond. His plea was denied.
This is not Chambers' first brush with controversy; he is known in academic circles as a commentator on civil-military relations and democracy in Asia, with a distinct focus on Thailand. He's been Thailand's resident since 1993.
- The concurrent filing of lese-majeste charges against American scholar Paul Chambers and the stalled US-Thai trade negotiations has sparked speculation, with some suggesting that Thai politics might be influencing the tariff negotiations.
- The Isoc's duty, as stated by Maj Gen Thammanoon Maison, is to protect national institutions and take necessary actions against any act offending royalty, regardless of the nationality of the perpetrator, as seen in the ongoing case against Paul Chambers in Phitsanulok province.
- In the education-and-self-development sector, the US State Department has expressed concern over the potential impact of the Chambers case on academic freedom in Thailand, while the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore has removed a controversial text related to Chambers from its academic webinar.
- In the general news and crime-and-justice segments, Paul Chambers, a lecturer and international affairs advisor at Naresuan University in Phitsanulok, is facing charges under the lese-majeste law, and although he has been granted bail, his plea to remove the electronic monitoring device was recently denied.
