Ex-Activist Released After 11 Years in Prison on Fraud Conviction
After serving nearly 11 years for a fraud conviction, 69-year-old former activist Nathi Theerarojpong was released on August 14 and plans to establish a support group for rehabilitated inmates returning to society.
On August 23, 2025, Nathi Theerarojpong, 69, a former activist who took up complaints from troubled Chiang Mai residents, opened up to reporters after completing his sentence in the "Ufan share-scheme" public fraud case. Wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet, he explained that he was convicted in the Ufan fraud case, for which the court imposed a 12,655-year sentence. However, sentences in such cases are capped at 20 years maximum. He fought through three levels of court over nine years, then received sentence reductions from the Department of Corrections on three separate occasions, ultimately serving nearly 11 years in prison. He was imprisoned starting August 25, 2015, and was released on August 14, 2025.
When released on August 14, an outstanding old case from a different plaintiff emerged, and he was taken to Chiang Rai City Police Station and held for two nights before being brought before Chiang Rai Court. The court granted him an electronic monitoring bracelet and bail of 50,000 baht for the outstanding case. He now reports regularly.
"While imprisoned, I did what I could to benefit the Department and the prison. I taught English and primarily translated English documents for Khlong Prem Prison. After 11 years inside, I have come to believe that inmates are a mix of good and bad people, but I genuinely believe the good ones are far more numerous. I discussed with fellow inmates that when I am released, I will work with full dedication. With perhaps only 10 years of life remaining, I want to dedicate myself to society. I wish to establish the 'Alliance of Good People Returning to Society' group, aligned with the prison motto: 'Care with heart, correct with compassion, to return good people to society.'
"I will bring together former inmates, current inmates preparing for release, their families, and neutral-minded citizens to give us a chance to help develop our nation. We will perform our duties to the best of our ability for the good of our country." On August 25, 2025, he will pay respects at the Khruba Sri Wichai monument at the base of Doi Suthep and establish the group on that auspicious day—marking exactly 11 years since his incarceration began on August 25, 2015. The group, "Alliance of Good People Returning to Society," will be announced across all social media platforms, welcoming current inmates, former inmates, and anyone who believes in supporting their rehabilitation and development efforts.
He also noted the contrast between his case and drug trafficking convictions, where some sentenced to life or death have been released within 7–8 years, whereas he served nearly 11 years despite a maximum 20-year sentence. He views this as a matter of Department of Corrections procedure and trusts that the Department will apply wisdom and justice in balancing societal and individual welfare as circumstances evolve.
