Death reignites Thai lese majesty debate The death of a Thai man sentenced late last year to 20 years in prison under Thailand's harsh lese majesty laws has reignited calls for reform of the laws and put the spotlight on upcoming cases. Ampon Tangnoppakul, who became known as "Uncle SMS" after his conviction for allegedly sending four text messages deemed insulting to the royal family, died on Tuesday after being hospitalised last week with stomach pain. Mr Ampon's wife learnt of her husband's death when she arrived on Tuesday to visit him at Bangkok Remand Prison, where he was interned. On Tuesday night, protesters marched from the prison to the criminal court where Mr Ampon was convicted in a candlelight vigil. Thai social media sites displayed hundreds of messages from people expressing outrage at the treatment of the man they had also nicknamed Akong. "My condolences to Akong and to all law-abiding citizens in this decaying society," wrote one commenter, Paul Siu. Another, Somsak Thaisuwan, took issue with Article 112 of the Thai constitution, which makes lese majesty a crime, saying "this should not be used in the modern age." In a court hearing that became a rallying point for lese majesty activists, Mr Ampon had pleaded not guilty to the charges, weeping in court and claiming he did not know how to use a mobile telephone. At the time of his death, he had been planning to ask for a royal pardon, even though he had denied the charges, said friends. He was among a string of cases over the past year to have received what civil rights activists warn is increasingly harsh treatment under a stricter interpretation of the lese majesty laws. Citing relatively new laws on "electronic crimes," encompassing the internet and mobile telecoms, the government of Yingluck Shinawatra, the prime minister, has stepped up monitoring of websites including social media. The Electronic Crimes Act includes stiffer penalties than the previous 15-year maximum sentence for lese majesty. Last month, a Bangkok court postponed its verdict in the controversial trial of a Thai web editor accused over remarks about the monarchy posted by other people on her website. Chiranuch Premchaiporn, who faces up to 20 years in prison, denies allegations that she did not remove quickly enough 10 online posts that allegedly insulted the monarchy in 2008. "The increasing number of lese majesty cases in Thailand in the past few years has worsened the human rights situation in this country," said Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a Thai academic who launched a "Free Akong" campaign and has been lobbying for reform of Article 112. In many ways, the Akong case is no different from any other. The many reasons behind the use of the law range from: sustaining the myths that surround the monarchy ... cloaking anxiety over the royal succession; controlling society; prolonging the military's role in politics ... and coping with the technological revolution in cyberspace. Mr Ampon's death, he said, was "a slap in the face of the Thai hyper-royalists who have employed the draconian lese majesty law as a political weapon to control differences in political views in society." Given the strong reactions to Mr Ampon's death on the internet and in the media, wrote media commentator Veera Prateepchaikul in the Bangkok Post, "it seems likely that his sudden demise will reignite the calls for changes to the lese majesty law by the free expression and human rights advocacy groups." But, he added, "it is doubtful that the government, or the [ruling] Pheu Thai party, will change its stand on the issue."