She was 28, a critic of the monarchy and now dead in custody
Thai activist Netiporn Sanesangkhom died after 110 days of fasting. About a courageous woman and a system that defies reform.
In memory of activist Nettiborn Sanesangom, who died in Bangkok.
Photo: Peeraphone Puniakiat (Getty Images)
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It didn’t take long for reactions to the young woman’s death in prison to pour in: “No one should die for thinking differently,” the Bangkok Post quoted Thai politician Nattawood Saikuar as saying, and others were shocked to hear about the fate. His activist Netiborn Sanesangom, known as Bung, learned. She was only 28 when she died on Tuesday morning.
Netiborn was in jail in Bangkok, on hunger strike against his country’s justice system, which treats critics of the monarchy as serious criminals and imprisons them. The activist’s death has drawn renewed attention to the dispute over the future of the Thai monarchy, which has resisted any calls for political reform. Those who oppose the system are persecuted mercilessly there.
The request for release was rejected
A young Thai activist is openly calling for comprehensive reform of the monarchy. The young woman has been accused of les majesty in at least two cases. He was arrested on January 26. Lawyers in Bangkok said he went on hunger strike the next day after the court rejected his bail request.
Bung was reportedly found dead in the prison hospital on the morning of May 14. According to jail officials, he was diagnosed with a heart attack. Later she was rushed to Thammasat University Hospital but no one there could save her. All efforts to revive her failed, it was said. The young woman was pronounced dead at 11:22 a.m. His body was later scheduled for an autopsy, Thai media reported.
Fasting for 110 days
According to reports from Bangkok, the 28-year-old fasted for at least 110 days. Officials’ statement, cited by the Khasoth news site, said the woman started eating again after April 4.
Despite the growing tensions, Thailand has for years adhered to Section 112 of its draconian criminal code, which provides for lengthy prison terms for criticizing the royal family and its members. Courts can impose up to 15 years in prison for each charge. Netiporn Sanesangkhom, daughter of a judge and teacher, had to answer two cases of alleged “lese majesté”. Among other things, he is charged with launching a survey on what people think about state motorcades in city transport in 2020.
Oppressive government
At the time, supporters and critics of the monarchy called for street protests and demonstrations in Bangkok. In October 2020, a convoy carrying Queen Sudita was harassed by protesters who displayed the three-finger salute, a symbol of protest from the “Hunger Games” film series.
“Netibourne’s tragic death in custody shows how brutal the punishment for les majesties is,” Sunai Pasuk, who covers Thailand for Human Rights Watch, told Time. Thailand remains a repressive country that does not respect the freedom of those who challenge the monarchy even after the end of the military government and the arrival of a new Prime Minister Shretha Thavisin.
According to a study by the Thai Lawyers Group for Human Rights (TLHR), more than 300 cases have been opened in Thailand since 2020 alone over gross allegations, and nearly 2,000 over political statements since the youth protests began four years ago.
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