Thailand's princess dies after almost four years in a coma

The hope for a better future for the Thai monarchy has been dashed with the death of Princess Bha, the eldest daughter of Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn. Popularly known as Bha, the Princess of Thailand has died after almost four years in a coma due to a bacterium that caused her heart problems and multiple infections in various organs. According to the royal house, Bajrakitiyabha Narendira Debyavati died this Thursday at the age of 47. Her death raises questions about the succession to the throne, a delicate issue in Thailand, as Bha was considered the only hope for modernity in the traditional monarchy of the Asian country.

A hope for modernity in the Thai monarchyA hope for modernity in the Thai monarchy

The death of Princess Bha has arrived amid a growing wave of disillusionment among young Thais towards the monarchy. In recent years, young people have demonstrated to demand reforms to the monarchy and also to the strict lèse-majesté law that prohibits criticism of the royal family. The law, imposed by the crown, states that any criticism towards the monarchy of Thailand can lead to a sentence of up to fifteen years in prison.

For royalists, the princess was seen as the figure who could restore respect to a royal house that had become unpopular. In fact, many analysts considered Bha to be the ideal heir to the throne: “She was the hope that could lead the royal family into the future,” stated Kasidit Ananthanathorn, a professor at Ramkhamhaeng University in Thailand. The Thai king's eldest daughter, the most active and charismatic figure in the royal family, has been the most institutional and humanitarian face of the royal house. Nevertheless, Bha was positioned as a fundamental piece for the stability and future of the crown.

Bajrakitiyabha Narendira had always been highly committed to Thailand's social causes. One of her interests was the rights of female inmates. Bha pressured the Thai government to present a resolution to the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice – an organ of the United Nations –, arguing that women were in a vulnerable situation in a prison system designed for men. She also promoted the adoption by the UN in 2010 of the United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Sanctions and Measures not Involving Deprivation of Liberty for Female Offenders.

Bha, a doctor of law from the University of Chicago and a graduate in international relations, led projects throughout her career to ensure that imprisoned Thai mothers received counseling and childcare services to help them reintegrate into society after their release. "She dedicated a large part of her time to a task she didn't have to do," explained Jeremy Douglas, a senior official at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, who had known the princess for over two decades. "She pushed her ideas, held meetings, sat with people, and reflected: 'What can we do better?'", Douglas added.

The death of the princess complicates the succession of the Thai monarchy, as she was considered the favorite candidate to inherit the throne and represented the only hope for the Asian country to build a better future for the monarchy.