Dr. Paul Chambers Shares Experience with Section 112 and Analysis of Thai Military in New Online Series “The Deep Dive”
On August 6, 2025, Engage Thailand held our first The Deep Dive episode with Dr. Paul Chambers. An academic of Thailand’s civil-military relations, Chambers was charged with lese majeste law for his comments about military reshuffles, a case filed by the Internal Security Operation Command (ISOC). “I never, ever, insulted the king of Thailand. I never have, ever thought about that,” Chambers remarked. “In fact, in all of my scholarship on Thailand, I never have looked at the king.”
During his brief time behind bars, Chambers was approached by an inmate who seems to be a leader of prisoners. He was so intimidated that, he argued, he might have been killed had he stayed in prison longer. “One of the informal leaders of the prisoners were saying, ‘Look, if you don't get out on bail tonight or tomorrow, we prisoners are gonna have a talk with you, because you insulted our king.’ And that was probably the scariest thing that I could imagine in the prison.”
“One of the informal leaders of the prisoners were saying, ‘Look, if you don’t get out on bail tonight or tomorrow, we prisoners are gonna have a talk with you, because you insulted our king.’ And that was probably the scariest thing that I could imagine in the prison.”
As an expert in the Thai military, Chambers also offered insights on the recent border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia. The Thai military, he said, “uses national security to increase its intrusions over civilian authority,” due to the enormous economic rent along the border.
“The military wants to remain prominent along the border, because it does have economic benefits, and one way is to maintain legitimacy as a powerful institution along the border.”
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