Dallas man fights to free brother jailed in Thailand for allegedly insulting monarchy

A man with Dallas ties is fighting to free his brother from a Thai prison after he was arrested for a crime they say he didn’t commit.

Last week, the Thai military served American scholar Paul Chambers with an arrest warrant, alleging that he insulted the country’s monarchy.

Chambers is originally from Oklahoma, but he’s spent the last three decades in Thailand as a college professor with a focus on civil-military relations in Southeast Asia.

His brother in Dallas, Kit Chambers, and his attorney said Chambers participated in a webinar about the Thai military in October.

The complaint focuses on a blurb written in an invitation for that presentation, which they maintain he did not write.

“We don’t know why this has happened. We just don’t,” said Kit Chambers.

It’s been 24 hours since Kit last talked with his younger brother.

The 58-year-old academic turned himself in yesterday.

He’s charged with lese-majeste, a French term meaning royal defamation, and the Computer Crime Act. According to his attorney, both charges stem from something Chambers didn’t write.

“The evidence they’re using to show that was a web page from a group that was hosting a symposium. And on his bio page for that group, there’s some language in there that could be construed as maligning the king. But he did not write that,” said Kit Chambers.

While Thai Lawyers for Human Rights handles the case in Thailand, Kit is lobbying the U.S. government for help.

A State Department spokesperson told 온라인카지노사이트 5 it is “deeply troubled that Thai authorities arrested U.S. citizen Paul Chambers.”

The department is providing consular support.

The spokesperson added, “The United States strongly supports freedom of expression around the world. We regularly urge Thai authorities, both privately and publicly, to protect freedom of expression in accordance with Thailand’s international obligations.”

Chambers faces up to 15 years in prison, which his brother fears he may not survive.

“We worry a lot about his health condition and how things are going there. What the conditions are like in the jail, we don’t know,” he said.

Chambers’ attorney said they tried to post bail twice, but it was denied.

They plan to appeal later.