Lèse majesté charge against American academic dropped

The director general of the Region 6 Public Prosecutors’ Office decided today to drop lèse majesté and computer crime charges against American academic Paul Chambers.

Sakkasem Neesaiyok, spokesman for the Office of the Attorney-General, said in a statement that the decision to drop all charges against Chambers, an academic at the University of Naresuan in Phitsanuloke province, is in line with the resolution of a working committee, tasked with setting guidelines for the enforcement of the lèse majesté law (§112 of the Criminal Code).

He said that the public prosecutor in Phitsanuloke will now ask the provincial court to order the release of Chambers.

The commissioner of the Region 6 Provincial Police Bureau will also be notified of the decision.

The decision came one day after the American Political Science Association (APSA) sent an open letter to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and several prominent congressmen, demanding that the charges be dropped.

Yesterday, the Region 6 Appeals Court ordered the removal of the electronic monitoring bracelet from Chambers, who is currently out on bail.

The lèse majesté charge against Chambers, which was initiated by the army, has sparked protests from both Thai and international human rights advocacy groups.

Even former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has suggested that the charges might be behind the postponement of tariff talks between Thai and American delegations.