Thai prosecutors have recommended dropping charges of lese-majeste and computer crime against American academic Paul Chambers, the Office of the Attorney General said on Thursday.
Spokesman Sakkasem Nisaiyok said prosecutors for OAG Region 6, which includes Phitsanulok province where the charges were laid, had made the decision after reviewing the investigation file submitted by the Muang district police station.
Prosecutors would submit a request to the Phitsanulok Provincial Court to dismiss the case against Mr Chambers, with a copy to the Provincial Police Region 6 commander, said Mr Sakkasem.
The statement gave no reason for the decision, other than saying that prosecutors believed the evidence did not meet the guidelines for enforcing an action under Section 112 of the Criminal Code, the royal defamation law.
The coalition-leading Pheu Thai Party posted a copy of Thursday's statement from the OAG on its official X account.
The announcement comes at a highly sensitive point in US-Thai relations. There was even unconfirmed speculation that the case might have been one of the reasons for the postponement of negotiations on the 36% tariffs Washington seeks to impose on Thai imports.
The Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) denied there was any such link, saying the timing of the charge was purely coincidental.
The complaint against the academic reportedly centred on a notice for an academic webinar organised by the ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore on Thailand’s military and police reshuffles. It listed Mr Chambers, a recognised expert on the topic, as a speaker.
Mr Chambers, 58, has said he neither wrote nor published the text, which has since been taken down from the Institute’s website.
Mr Chambers, a lecturer and special adviser on international affairs at Naresuan University in Phitsanulok, was charged on April 8, a week after the Third Army Region and Isoc filed a complaint with police in the province.
Lese-majeste is punishable by between 3 and 15 years in prison. Charges against foreigners are very rare. Computer crimes charges are frequently filed alongside royal defamation charges, and can further lengthen sentences.
After spending a night in detention he was granted bail, on condition that he wear an electronic monitoring device on his ankle.
On Monday of this week he petitioned the Phitsanulok provincial court for the removal of the device, saying has shown no behaviour indicating an intent to flee. The court denied the request but the Court of Appeal overruled the decision on Wednesday and approved the removal of the device, according to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights.
Mr Chambers also had his passport seized and his visa revoked by the Immigration Bureau after he was charged. However, officials said no decision on deportation could be made until after court proceedings are finished.
Mr Chambers’ family in Oklahoma campaigned for his release, lobbying congressmen, senators and the US State Department. Kit Chambers wrote an opinion piece in a local newspaper saying trade talks between Thailand should not start until his brother was released.
The American Political Science Association also issued a statement this week, calling on the Thai government to respect freedom of expression and academic freedom, as protected by the Constitution and international treaties to which Thailand is a party.
Mr Chambers, who holds a PhD in political science from Northern Illinois University, is well-known in academic circles as a commentator on civil-military relations and democracy in Asia, with a special focus on Thailand. He has lived in Thailand since 1993.
His books include Khaki Capital: The Political Economy of the Military in Southeast Asia, and Praetorian Kingdom: A History of Military Ascendancy in Thailand.