14-5-2024 (BANGKOK) Netiporn “Boong” Sanesangkhom, a 28-year-old activist and core leader of the Thalu Wang protest group, was pronounced dead late Tuesday morning at Thammasat University Hospital. Her death comes over three months after she commenced a dry hunger strike, highlighting her plight and demands for justice reform.
Netiporn had been held at the Central Women’s Correctional Institution in Chatuchak district since January 26, after her bail was revoked on a lese-majeste charge. On the same day, she was sentenced to a month in prison for contempt of court related to a protest outside the Bangkok South Criminal Court on October 19, 2023, in support of another activist jailed for royal defamation under Section 112 of the Criminal Code.
The lese-majeste charge against the former tutor originated from her involvement in a February 2022 opinion survey on royal motorcades. Her bail was revoked following a protest at the Ministry of Culture on August 6, 2023. The day after her imprisonment, Netiporn began a hunger strike, refusing food, water, and most medical treatments, to demand justice system reforms and an end to the imprisonment of individuals prosecuted for political reasons.
Her health deteriorated, leading to her transfer from prison to the Central Correctional Hospital in early February, and later to Thammasat University Hospital for further treatment before being returned to the prison hospital. According to the Department of Corrections, Netiporn resumed normal consumption of food and water upon her return to the prison hospital in early April. However, she continued to suffer from severe health issues, including anaemia and low mineral levels, and declined minerals and medication.
Netiporn suffered a heart attack at the Central Correctional Hospital just after 6 am on Tuesday. Despite resuscitation efforts and her transfer to Thammasat University Hospital, she was pronounced dead at 11:22 am.
Her death has prompted significant public outcry and calls for justice reform. Move Forward Party MP Rukchanok Srinork, currently appealing a six-year sentence for lese-majeste and computer crimes, expressed her condolences and emphasized the fundamental right to bail while defendants fight their cases.
Nattawut Saikuar, former co-leader of the red-shirt United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship, also called for the release of detained youth activists, asserting, “No one should die because they think differently.”
The debate among lawmakers over granting amnesty to individuals convicted of political offences, including those under Section 112, continues. While there is broad support for amnesty for participants in the yellow- and red-shirt movements, resistance persists regarding lese-majeste convictions.
Lisa Nunarnan, a Move Forward MP and deputy spokesperson, criticized the government’s lack of sincere efforts, stating, “Deaths like this wouldn’t have happened if the government had tried to do more and be more sincere.”
Netiporn’s colleagues, Natthanon “Frank” Chaimahabud and Tantawan “Tawan” Tuatulanon, are continuing their hunger strikes, although they are reportedly accepting some liquids and medications. They face sedition charges related to an incident involving a royal motorcade on February 4.
Data from Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) indicate that since the beginning of the Free Youth protests in July 2020, 1,954 people have been prosecuted for political participation and expression, with at least 272 facing lese-majeste charges and 152 charged with sedition.
