One of the 36 Nepali prisoners in Thai jails waiting for an extradition treaty to be sent back to Nepal, has died in a prison hospital, Thai sources said.

Hari Bahadur Gurung had been living with HIV and was transferred from Bangkok's Bangkwang prison to a hospice run by a charity a few days before he died on 12 December. Before passing away, Gurung had been looked after by several volunteer inmates including Uwes Dambermann, a fellow-inmate from South Africa. Gurung is survived by a wife and two young children in Nepal.

"We have been trying very hard to convince the Thai government to amend the law, so that the terminally ill inmates can be eligible for compassionate release," said hospice director, John Lerwitworapong.

Other activists who have been lobbying with the Nepali authorities to expedite an extradition treaty to bring Nepali inmates home are disheartened that the issue is not getting sufficient priority in Nepal. "The Thais have said they can send the Nepalis back, but our government doesn't care," says GS Rai, one extradition activist. "The Nepalis want to come back and serve their terms in their homeland." Nearly all the Nepalis are accused of drug trafficking offences and are serving sentences of 10 years to life imprisonment. Many say they were framed by Thai traffickers.