American academic held in Thailand charged with insulting monarchy

Paul Chambers detained under strict lese-majesty law, which can lead to 15 years in jail on a single charge

A prominent American academic has been detained in Thailand after being charged with insulting the monarchy, a rare case in which a foreign national has fallen foul of the country's strict lese-majesty law.

Paul Chambers, who specialises in civil-military relations and democratisation in south-east Asia, was denied bail on Tuesday and is being held at Phitsanulok provincial prison in northern Thailand, his lawyers said.