UPI en Español  |   UPI Asia  |   About UPI  |   My Account
Search:
Go

Man jailed for insulting king dies

|
 
Published: May 8, 2012 at 7:53 AM

BANGKOK, May 8 (UPI) -- A retired truck driver imprisoned for criticizing Thailand's king has died in a prison hospital, his lawyer said.

Ampon Tangnoppakul, 61, was sentenced in November to 20 years in prison for sending four critical text messages from his mobile phone in violation of Thailand's lese-majeste laws, The New York Times reported Tuesday.

Articles published in the Thai press discussed the possibility that his mobile phone's identity may have been pirated.

Ampon was repeatedly denied bail despite a history of cancer. The court ruled that his condition "did not appear to be fatal."

His lawyer said in a telephone interview that prison may have worsened his condition. He complained of stomach pains last week and was sent to a prison hospital.

Observers said the death is likely to sharpen debate over the place of the monarchy in society and the laws that create a separate category for crimes against the sovereign.

Recommended Stories
© 2012 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.

Order reprints
Join the conversation
Most Popular Collections
'Star Trek Into Darkness' screening NBC upfronts Met Ball 2013
'Great Gatsby' premieres in New York Spire raised on top of One WTC 2013: Celebrity break ups and divorces
Additional World News Stories
1 of 18
Palestinian  Security Forces Patrol the Border With Egypt.
View Caption
A members of the Hamas security forces patrol the border area between Gaza and Egypt, in the southern Gaza Strip May 20, 2013. Egyptian police angered by the kidnapping of seven colleagues by Islamist gunmen kept a crossing into the Gaza Strip closed again for four days, stranding hundreds of Palestinian travellers, As Tunnels between Egypt and Gaza closed and border was declared as military zone. Palestinian security forces patrol around the border, witnesses said. UPI/Ismael Mohamad
fark
If you're going to rob a bank, it's probably best to wear a disguise, not a floor-length, green...
One of the last three surviving Jewish fighters from the Warsaw ghetto uprising of 1943 has died...
Senator who voted against disaster aid for Sandy: now is not the time to discuss my position on...
Gay man comes out as Boy Scout
3rd Annual Geek Pride Night @SkyBar in Bowling Green, OH, 8p May 22, Farkers welcome to the party...
Vertical Pink Houses may be the future of farming. John Mellencamp unavailable for comment