Committee of Concerned Scientists

An international non-profit organization of scientists, physicians, engineers and scholars dedicated to protecting the human rights and scientific freedom of our colleagues around the world.

An independent non-profit organization of scientists, physicians, engineers and scholars dedicated to protecting the human rights and scientific freedom of our colleagues around the world.

Lecturer at Thailand’s Naresuan University in Legal Limbo over lèse-majesté Case

Paul Chambers, a lecturer of political science at Naresuan University in Thailand, was arrested on charges of lèse-majesté (insulting the monarchy) due an online blurb about his seminar on the Thai military and police in October 2024. He was removed from his position and is not allowed to leave the country even though charges against him were recently dropped by the state prosecutor. The Committee is concerned that these charges are retaliation by the royalist army for normal academic activity.

More from the Bankok Post

May 19, 2025

Paetongtarn Shinawatra
Prime Minister
Office of the Prime Minister, Royal Thai Government
Government House
1 Phitsanulok Road
Dusit District, Bangkok 10300, Thailand

Dear Prime Minister Shinawatra:

The Committee of Concerned Scientists is an independent organization of scientists, physicians, engineers, and scholars devoted to the protection and advancement of human rights and scientific freedom for colleagues all over the world.

We are writing in regard to Dr. Paul Chambers, a lecturer of political science at Naresuan University in Thailand. Professor Chambers was arrested on charges of lèse-majesté and computer crime due to an online blurb from his seminar about the Thai military and police in October 2024. He was removed from his position and is not allowed to leave the country due to a confiscated passport and visa even though charges against him were recently dropped by the state prosecutor.

The Committee is concerned that these charges are retaliation for normal academic activity. Dr. Chambers should be allowed to either return to the United States or be restored to his position at Naresuan University without fear of prosecution.

Thank you for your attention to this serious matter. We will be closely following developments in this case.

Sincerely,

Joel L. Lebowitz, Walter Reich, Eugene M. Chudnovsky, Alexander Greer
Co-Chairs, Committee of Concerned Scientists

CC:
Marco Antonio Rubio
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20520
USA
Phone: (202) 647-4000
X: @SecRubio

Maris Sangiampongsa
Foreign Minister
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Royal Thai Government
443 Thanon Si Ayutthaya
Thung Phaya Thai Sub-district, Ratchathewi District,
Bangkok 10400, Thailand

Who We Are

Co-chairs

Joel L. Lebowitz, Rutgers University

Walter Reich, George Washington University

Eugene Chudnovsky, Lehman College

Alexander Greer, Brooklyn College

Vice-chairs

Biology – Max E. Gottesman, Columbia University

Chemistry – Zafra Lerman, MIMSAD Inc.

Computer Science – Rachelle Heller, The George Washington University

Engineering – Philip Sarachik, NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering

Computer Science – Jack Minker, University of Maryland, College Park

Mathematics – Simon Levin, Princeton University

Honorary Board Members

Nancy Andrews, Duke University

Myles Axton, Chief Editor, Genetics and Genomics Next

David Baltimore, California Institute of Technology*

Alan J. Bard, University of Texas

David Gross, University of California, Santa Barbara*

James Langer, University of California, Santa Barbara

Peter Lax, New York University

Giorgio Parisi, Roma I University La Sapienza

John C. Polanyi, University of Toronto*

Stuart Rice, University of Chicago

Sir Richard J. Roberts, New England Biolabs*

Maxine Singer, Carnegie Institution of Washington

Alfred I. Tauber, Boston University

Myrna Weissman, Columbia University

Former Honorary Board Members

Jacob Bigeleisen (deceased), SUNY, Stony Brook

Raoul Bott (deseased) Harvard University

Owen Chamberlain (deceased), University of California, Berkeley

Stanley Deser (deceased), Brandeis University

Edward Gerjuoy (deceased), University of Pittsburgh

Pierre Hohenberg (deceased), New York University

Walter Kohn (deceased), University of California, Santa Barbara*

Louis Nirenberg (deceased), New York University

Marshall Nirenberg (deceased), National Institutes of Health*

Myriam Sarachick (deceased), City College of New York

Harold Scheraga (deceased), Cornell University

Sylvan Schweber (deceased), Brandeis University

Steven Weinberg (deceased), University of Texas, Austin*

Rosalyn S. Yalow (deceased), Mount Sinai School of Medicine*

* Nobel laureate

CONTACT

Edyta Greer
Executive Director
P.O. Box 112
New York, NY 10159
emgreer@concernedscientists.org