THE Office of Attorney General has announced a final decision to not prosecute Dr. Paul Chambers on charges of lese majeste, also known as Section 112 of the Criminal Code, and violating the Computer Crimes Act, because he was not the one who posted a message at ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore’s website promoting a seminar there last year, Naewna newspaper said today (May 29).
The Lawyers for Human Rights Centre this afternoon said the Attorney General’s Office issued the order on Tuesday May 27.
This case started when the Third Army Region Commander, in his capacity as Director of Internal Security Operations Command Region 3, got lawyers to file a complaint against Chambers accusing him of posting an invitation to attend an online seminar on the topic of transfers and appointments in the Thai military and police at ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore’s website on October 11, 2024, with a reference made to the monarchy.
On April 4, 2025, Chambers was notified by Naresuan University, his employer, that an arrest warrant had been issued for him by the Phitsanulok Provincial Court. Later, on April 8, 2025, he acknowledged the charges at Mueang Phitsanulok police station before being sent for detention at the Phitsanulok Provincial Court. The court denied bail twice, leading to him being sent to prison that night.
The next day, April 9, 2025, the Court of Appeals Region 6 ordered bail, with a surety of 300,000 baht, plus told Chambers to deposit his passport at the court, wear an electronic monitoring (EM) bracelet. On the same day, his visa was also revoked.
Later, on May 1, 2025, the Attorney General for Region 6 ordered that Chambers not be prosecuted on all charges in this case. This decision was sent to the Commander of Provincial Police Region 6 to consider whether he would have a conflicting opinion, according to Section 145/1 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
As the Provincial Police Region 6’s Commander had a conflicting opinion, the case was returned to the Attorney General for a final decision.
The final order was to not prosecute Chambers because there is insufficient evidence to prove that he posted the message.
Computer data showed that this message was posted by ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute website, which is located and has offices outside the country. There is no evidence to show that the suspect posted this message.
In addition, at the time of the incident, the accused was in Thailand and did not attend the seminar in Singapore as summarised by this website.
The case against Chambers from when he learnt about the arrest warrant and the Attorney General’s order to not prosecute lasted 54 days. He was affected by having to spend one night in jail, having to wear an EM bracelet for 21 days, and losing his job at Naresuan University.
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Dr. Paul Chambers. Photo: Amarin TV
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