US lecturer wins appeal to remove EM bracelet
Yesterday, April 30, the Court of Appeal Region 6 granted permission for Doctor Paul Chambers to remove his electronic monitoring (EM) bracelet. This decision follows his appeal against a previous court order, though he must adhere to other bail conditions.
Yesterday, the Human Rights Lawyers Centre announced on their social media page that Chambers is now allowed to remove his EM bracelet. This follows an appeal against the initial court’s decision to deny the request.
Earlier, on April 28, at Phitsanulok Provincial Court, the American lecturer requested the removal of the electronic monitoring device, which had been attached to his ankle since April 10.
The court initially spent about an hour reviewing the request but denied it, stating there was no reason to alter the previous order from the Court of Appeal Region 6. Chambers appealed this ruling to the Court of Appeal Region 6, for further consideration.
The case traces back to allegations against Chambers by the Third Army Region commander, who, as director of Internal Security Operations Command Region 3, authorised military personnel to accuse him under Section 112 of the Criminal Code.
The charges stem from a 2024 article Chambers allegedly posted on the website of the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, an academic organisation in Singapore.
The article is said to contain defamatory content about the Thai king, which is punishable under Thailand’s strict royal defamation laws. Chambers denied the allegations, insisting that he did not post the article and was not involved in managing the website.
On April 8, upon learning of a court-issued arrest warrant, Chambers voluntarily met with investigators to acknowledge the charges. However, he was detained and remanded by Phitsanulok Provincial Court, which twice denied bail on the same day, prompting an appeal against the decision, reported KhaoSod.
On April 9, the Court of Appeal Region 6 permitted temporary release during the investigation, with conditions including surrendering his passport to Phitsanulok Provincial Court, a travel ban outside the Kingdom without court approval, appointing a supervisor during temporary release, and wearing the EM bracelet from April 10.
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