Hunger striking democracy and royal reform activist dies in Thai prison Leave a comment
Bangkok, Thailand – Netiporn “Bung” Sanesangkhom was known by her friends and family as courageous, outspoken, and fierce. At just 28 years old, she was a formidable force within the Thai democracy movement, defiant in the face of the legal and physical risks as she and her friends called for royal reform.
Dressed in her signature all-black at street demonstrations, Netiporn was not afraid of the authorities: often challenging their almost constant surveillance, and staring down the police at protests and other public events. Always willing to speak her mind, she had a strong voice that carried far, electrifying the crowds at rallies.
“Let there be reform of the justice process,” Netiporn said at an event last year. “No one should be jailed for having political differences.”
But on April 14, Netiporn died from cardiac arrest while in custody awaiting trial. She had been imprisoned since January 26 and charged with royal defamation, also known as lese-majeste, for conducting public opinion polls about Thai royal motorcades, among a slew of other charges.
Even from detention, she continued to protest. She had been on a hunger strike for more than 110 days in protest against the bail conditions faced by democracy protesters.
“What did Bung do? Nothing. She just wanted democracy and to reform the justice system,” Emilie Palamy Pradichit, the founder and executive director of Manushya Foundation, a Thailand-based rights group, told Al Jazeera.
Emilie and Nitiporn were friends and they often worked together.
“A young person is dead because she wanted democracy and justice,” Emilie said. “She died because she stood for people, for an end to dictatorship and absolute monarchy, for a better Thailand. I hope this will be a wake-up call for the dinosaur generation, the establishment, and the state.”
‘Broken judicial system’
Netiporn was a leading member of the underground antimonarchical group Thaluwang, a name that translates to “shattering the palace” and which is made up of mostly young people in their 20s, who use performance art, provocative stunts and other tactics to question the king’s immense power.
One of many critics of the monarchy who have come under legal pressure in Thailand since protests broke out in 2020, Netiporn had been calling on the government to release activists held in pre-trial detention for more than a year.
“Netiporn’s tragic death in custody shows how brutal the punishment for royal defamation is in Thailand,” Sunai Phasuk, senior researcher on Thailand for Human Rights Watch, told Al Jazeera.
“The [28-year-old] activist sacrificed her life by going on hunger strike to demand the right to bail for political prisoners and that no one should be punished for expressing dissenting views, including making criticism of the monarchy.”
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Source ( BBC News )
