Thai activists hold a portrait of Netiporn Sanesangkhom, a member of the militant group Thaluwang, outside the criminal court in Bangkok, Thailand, on Tuesday.
Satchai Lalit/Associated Press
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Satchai Lalit/Associated Press
Thai activists hold a portrait of Netiporn Sanesangkhom, a member of the militant group Thaluwang, outside the criminal court in Bangkok, Thailand, on Tuesday.
Satchai Lalit/Associated Press
BANGKOK — A young Thai activist who went on a hunger strike after being imprisoned for advocating reform of Thailand’s monarchy died on Tuesday at a prison hospital, officials said. The death sparked fresh calls for a review of judicial procedures that would allow political prisoners accused of non-violent crimes to remain in jail for extended periods before trial.
Netiporn “Bung” Sanesangkhom, 28, is a member of the activist group Thaluwang, known for its bold and aggressive campaign to reform the monarchy and repeal laws that make it illegal to defame members of the royal family. The group’s name roughly translates to “Breakthrough of the Palace,” a reference to its public criticism of Thailand’s monarchy.
She appears to be the first political activist in Thailand to die after a 110-day hunger strike while awaiting trial.
Human rights group Amnesty International Thailand called Netiporn’s death “a shocking reminder that Thai authorities deny activists their right to temporary bail and use detention to stifle peaceful expressions of dissent”.
“This is a grim day for Thai society, highlighting severe judicial harassment and the justice system’s failure to recognize basic human rights,” the organization said. “Speaking out should not lead to death; it should inspire change.”
The popular opposition Kadima party, which has also been campaigning for monarchy reform, issued a statement saying people should not be jailed for holding political opinions and those accused of political crimes should be granted bail.
Diplomats and ambassadors from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, the European Union and other places expressed their condolences after the death of Nedi Puen. German Ambassador Ernest Reichel wrote on the social platform X: “My wish is that political differences do not have such painful and extreme consequences.”
Until recent years, Thailand’s monarchy was widely considered an untouchable cornerstone of Thai nationalism. Criticism of the monarchy is taboo, and insulting or defaming a key royal member is still punishable by up to 15 years in prison under the lèse-majesté law, commonly known as Section 112 of Thailand’s Penal Code.
Student-led pro-democracy protests that began in 2020 openly criticized the monarchy, leading to harsh prosecutions under the law, which had previously been relatively rare. Critics say the law is often used as a tool to suppress political dissent.
Netiporn is one of more than 270 activists accused of breaching royal defamation laws since the 2020-21 protests as the protest movement faded due to government harassment and the coronavirus pandemic.
Netipong went into cardiac arrest early Tuesday morning and the medical team spent hours trying to revive her. She was pronounced dead just before noon, according to a statement from the Department of Corrections.
According to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, she faces two charges of lèse-majesté, both related to conducting a poll in a public place in 2022 asking people about their views on the royal family. Her bail was revoked in January after she attended a political rally last year.
Netiporn began a hunger strike after being detained in January. The Department of Corrections said she resumed eating and drinking after April 4.
Two jailed activists are also on hunger strike. Both men, who are Thaluwang members and have also been charged with lèse-majesté for inciting reforms to the monarchy, began their hunger strike about a month after Netiporn.
Kritsadang Nutcharas, Netiporn’s lawyer, said her lawyers had applied to have her transferred from the Central Correctional Hospital to Thammasat University Hospital, but were never allowed to receive long-term hospitalization there. Authorities said they would determine legal cause of death.
“When we compare the political charges that these children have gone through to what some high-profile adults have gone through, does it seem like there’s a standard of treatment in the Thai justice system?” Krisatan said. He was apparently referring to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who returned from exile last year and served time in prison for corruption-related cases but never spent a night in jail due to ill health.
At a candlelight vigil outside Bangkok’s Criminal Court on Tuesday night, Panusaya “Rung” Sitthijirawattanakul, another activist facing lese majeste charges, denounced Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s government has failed to alleviate the plight of political prisoners.
“Do you need someone to die before you want to do anything?” she said. “How many of us have to die before you start listening to us? We’re not people to be feared. We’re just normal people with demands. So it’s very cruel.”
High-profile protests were held in Taruvan, demanding not only reform of the monarchy but also the judicial system and an end to political persecution through the courts. It also called for Thailand’s bid to join the United Nations Human Rights Council to be rejected.
After taking power last year, Thailand’s current government announced its candidacy for a seat on the Human Rights Council for the 2025-2027 term, seeking to demonstrate its commitment to human rights. Critics accuse the country’s law enforcement realities of being at odds with its ambitions to be recognized as a human rights defender by the international community.
Human Rights Watch expressed concern about “the notion that the Thai government uses arbitrary arrests and pretrial detention to punish critics of the monarchy,” saying this violated their rights under international human rights law.
