The silence around abuse in Thailand’s activist circles
After years, if not decades, of silence and gossip behind people’s backs, the #MeToo moment among Thailand’s so-called progressive and liberal circles arrived last Friday when an online media outlet published an interview with a woman under the pseudonym Ms A. Ms A alleged in a very long and detailed interview on the Socialgaze Facebook […] The post The silence around abuse in Thailand’s activist…
In recent times, a #MeToo movement has emerged within Thailand's progressive and liberal circles, after years of silence and hidden gossip. An online media outlet, Socialgaze, published an interview with a woman, known as Ms A, who alleged that a few years ago she was manipulated and raped by a prominent labor and political activist.
While Ms A did not directly identify the person, her description appeared to point towards former lèse-majesté detainee Somyot Prueksakasemsuk, who is now 64 years old. The interview, published last Friday, sparked speculation that the person referred to might have been Somyot. Somyot, who has been in prison for six years, acknowledged in a statement that he was the man Ms A had referred to, but claimed his account differed significantly from hers.
Ms A responded to the statement, denying any consensual relationship and calling it a false apology. The incident has led to more allegations, with veteran labor activist Sriprai Nonsri stating that others in the labor movement were aware of Somyot's behavior but kept quiet and previously chastised her for warning young women.
Written by urgent.news from Khaosod English's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
