Former senator Jon Ungphakorn, a social activist and Prachatai founder, passed away in his residence at the age of 77.

Jon was the oldest son of well-known economist and former Bank of Thailand governor Puey Ungpakorn and Margaret Smith. After completing a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering at the University of Sussex, he returned to Thailand to lecture at Mahidol University for five years.

As a result of political turmoil in the country during the 1973-1976 period, he decided to relocate to the UK. Once there, he worked with his father, brother and other Thai expats to publish "Mitr Thai" magazine to disseminate accurate information about Thailand to people around the world. They also provided assistance to Thai students who wished to flee from political prosecution.

Later, he returned home to serve as the first director of the Thai Volunteer Service Foundation (TVS) and spent the next decade cultivating a new generation of activists to work in community and rural development.

With the spread of HIV/AIDs, he later shifted his focus to health care, working on projects to provide support for those who living with AIDs while promoting social awareness and understanding of disease that initially plagued maginalised groups – laborers and sex workers – who were often condemned for being the root cause of the disease.  Along with other NGO campaigners, he brought human rights to the forefront of HIV debate. A co-founder of the AIDs Access Foundation, he served as its director from 1991-2000

In 2000, Jon was elected to the Senate, remaining in office until 2006.  In 2004, he joined with friends to found Prachatai, an online, independent newspaper, and also helped to establish several other NGO organisations, including iLaw.  In an interview, he once explained that he helped to establish Prachatai because he felt the Thai media was not sufficiently independent.

In 2005, Jon was awarded a Ramon Magsaysay laureate in Government Service. In the aftermath of the 2006 coup, he joined a movement opposing the military junta’s establishment of a National Legislative Assembly on the grounds that it breached the rights and freedom of the people.  He and fellow participants were prosecuted for doing so.