BANGKOK (Reuters) – An American academic who was arrested in Thailand and charged with insulting the royal family has been released on bail, but his immigration status remains contested, his lawyer said on Thursday.
Paul Chambers, a lecturer at Thailand’s Naresuan University was detained on Tuesday after a complaint was filed by the royalist army accusing him of defaming the powerful monarchy of Thailand, which has one of the world’s strictest lese majeste laws. The Immigration bureau has revoked his visa.
The U.S. 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”.
Chambers was released on bail late on Wednesday according to his lawyer, Wannaphat Jenroumjit of Thai Lawyers for Human Rights group. Chamber has also appealed against the revocation of his visa.
“We should hear about the appeal result by Friday,” Wannaphat added.
The accusations against Chambers stemmed from a blurb for an online academic seminar at which he was a speaker. The blurb was posted on a website of a research institute based outside of Thailand last year, his lawyer said.
Chambers will not be deported from Thailand until the court process is completed, an immigration officer said on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to media.
Thailand’s monarchy is protected by Section 112 of the country’s penal code, which says anyone found guilty of defaming, insulting or threatening the king, queen, heir apparent or regent shall be punished with imprisonment of three to 15 years.
(Reporting by Panu Wongcha-um and Panarat Thepgumpanat; Editing by Martin Petty)
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