This year’s Thai Children’s Day marks the third year that Arnon Nampa has not taken his children out for a celebration like other families. However, he understands “why he is in prison and what he is fighting for, and he believes that his children know the reasons for his struggle as well.”
Arnon still hopes to be granted bail to take care of his children, but there is still no sign of that. His legal team has filed more than 100 motions for temporary release, but the court has consistently denied them.
Meanwhile, Premchai Karnasuta has been granted bail despite being accused of negligence that caused death in the case of the STNG building collapse. He was released on bail last November.
“My dad is in Bangkok Special Prison.”
The cries of a 3-year-old boy named “Khal” and the sounds of giggles as he plays with his mother or caregiver are familiar sights to the judges and those following in the courtroom where Arnon Nampa is both the attorney and the defendant.
Arnon, a human rights lawyer, has been imprisoned for 2 years and 3 months. On September 26, 2023, he was sentenced to 4 years in prison for his speech during the #Mob14October protests on October 14, 2020.
After the court’s ruling, he was immediately taken to prison.
On the day he was sent to Bangkok Special Prison, his youngest son was almost three years old, while his daughter was 7.
Arnon Nampa was sentenced to 29 years and 1 month in prison
According to information from the Center for Human Rights Lawyers, from 2015 to 2025, he has faced 38 charges in total, with 11 cases concluded and 27 charges still ongoing.
So far he has been sentenced to 29 years and 1 month in prison, and the court rulings continue. Most of the charges are related to Section 112 or Les Majeste law and Section 116 of the Penal Code, which pertain to incitement.
Arnon is currently 41 years old, while his eldest daughter, “Pran,” is 9 years old (turning 10 in July this year), and his youngest son, “Khal,” is already nearly 5 years old.
If he serves his sentence as it stands, he will be released at the age of 70, when his daughter will be 38 and his youngest son will be 32.
Meanwhile, the years of imprisonment for their father“Arnon” keep ticking away, with no clear end in sight.
Despite being away from his children, he continues to write letters from Bangkok Special Prison directly to them. There are messages shared on the Facebook page of Arnon Nampa, which the admin regularly publishes for the public.
Alan Glasgow, Executive Director of Front Line Defenders (left), Lukwa, the wife of Arnon Nampa (center), and Isabel Rosales, Director of the Human Rights Defender Protection Program and EU Advocacy from the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), after observing in the courtroom at the Criminal Court, Ratchada, on November 4, 2025. Image credit: Hathairat Phaholtap.
A request for bail to receive the award was made, but the court did not approve
Although on 3 November 2025, Front Line Defenders held a ceremony in Bangkok to present the Front Line Defenders Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk 2025 to Arnon, in recognition of his work as a human rights lawyer who has played a significant role in promoting and protecting human rights—and despite the fact that he is the first Thai national to receive this award—his legal team submitted a bail request to allow him to attend the ceremony in person. However, the court denied the request.
Front Line Defender’s director traveled from Ireland to personally present the award. However, Anand was unable to attend to receive the award, so his wife accepted it on his behalf.
Nevertheless, the director of Front Line Defenders observed the proceedings in the courtroom at the Criminal Court in Ratchada and presented the award to Arnon himself during recess. Meanwhile, the court did not issue any other orders.
As of November 16, 2025, the legal team filed a total of 116 bail requests, consisting of 86 bail applications and 30 appeals against the denial of bail. But, the court dismissed all the requests, and there are still no signs of receiving bail.
Court recess is family time
The Isaan Record observed and reported on various proceedings in the Criminal Court multiple times and has seen Anand Nampa adeptly present counterarguments, supported by documents, to affirm the rights to assembly and freedom of expression.
During the recess, it becomes family time when the father, mother, and children have the opportunity to talk and play together.
This year, “Khal” can speak in sentences and communicate effectively. His son has started to communicate in English thanks to his mother’s teaching, which Anand has not been able to witness closely. He can only admire the eloquence of his little son from a distance.
Visiting Arnon at the Court Basement
The Isaan Record visited Arnon at the basement of the court through a phone that allowed for face-to-face viewing. But, there was a guard standing in between the glass booths, with about a 3-meter distance separating us, allowing only 10 minutes to ask about his life and his well-being in prison.
Arnon shared that life in prison is manageable; there are people who bring him food and water, thanks to donations to the Rajprasong fund, which ensures he has enough to eat. With a single request, he can receive three meals a day. His sleeping arrangements are also sufficient; although the prison may be somewhat overcrowded, he considers it a normal situation because he has been incarcerated multiple times and has learned to adapt.
He spends most of his free time exercising, as there is a fitness area in the prison that was obtained through donations. He dedicates about two hours a day to lifting dumbbells.
“Exercising helps me lose weight. In the evening, I sleep deeply and can eat more,” he said, emphasizing, “We understand well why we are fighting. These hardships are trivial.”
When asked about his relationship with his children, whom he does not get to see closely, he responded through the phone amid the chatter of dozens of people in the glass room.
“The kids understand, especially Pran. Since I’ve been in prison, she often tells her friends about her father’s struggles when she goes to school. My daughter usually boasts, ‘My dad is like this.’ When she comes to court, she asks, ‘When will dad come home?’ As for Khal, I went to prison when he was still learning to walk. When he comes to court, he tells me to hang in there.”
Additionally, he passes time by reading books, the latest being “One Hundred Years of Solitude.”
He also enjoys reading other novels, particularly the martial arts novels of Gu Long and various Chinese fiction.
“In a place of suffering, using the imagination allows the spirit to dance.”
Hoping for Bail and Amnesty
He also mentioned that there are several political prisoners in Bangkok Special Prison, such as Jatupat Boonpattararaksa known as Pai Dao Din and Attapol Buapad known as Kru Yai, among others.
“Everyone still has hopes and dreams. Everyone understands why they are here.”
However, they still hope to be granted bail and for an amnesty to occur.
“We expect that an amnesty will happen, but we think it will be difficult because the country is not all that democratic,” Anand emphasized.
“Premchai” Released in the Case of the STNG Building Collapse
Interestingly, while Arnon’s legal team and other political prisoners have made over 100 requests for temporary bail, on November 26, 2025, the Criminal Court ordered the temporary release of Premchai Karnasuta, Chairman of the Board of Italian-Thai Development Public Company Limited, and Kriengsak Kawathana, Senior Executive Vice President of Italian-Thai. Both were charged with professional misconduct in the design, supervision, or construction of a building that did not comply with regulations or practices, resulting in harm to others which led to death, according to the Penal Code in the case of the STNG building collapse.
The court reasoned that there were a total of 67 counts filed in this case, but Premchai was only charged with one count. Furthermore, he is a businessman with a stable residence and family support, and there was no evidence of flight risk. He has also cooperated continuously with investigators in terms of surrendering, providing documents, and attending appointments.
The standards used by the court in this case led Arnon’s legal team to question how the bail rights of defendants like Anand and other political prisoners differ from those of “Premchai Karnasuta.”
