Thailand’s former prime minister — a figure whose daughter presently occupies the same post — is facing backlash over remarks that drew a comparison between Thai women and African women.
During a campaign rally last week, Thaksin Shinawatra asserted that Thai women ought to win modeling assignments that he claimed were now being filled by Africans.
“African people, who have black skin and flat noses that make it difficult to breathe, are hired for millions of baht to be models,” he reportedly said at last Sunday’s campaign event supporting a candidate running in the Chiang Rai provincial election set for next month.
Baht is Thai’s form of currency.
Thaksin, a billionaire who recently returned to the kingdom after 15 years of self-exile, said his Pheu Thai party seeks to promote “pretty” Thai women as runway models, according to The Bangkok Post.
“It’s time to encourage more Thais, including those from ethnic groups like the Karen, who possess natural beauty, to become international models,” he said, adding that Thai women do not need plastic surgery to enhance their appearance.
Thai Sen. Angkhana Neelapaijit called Shinawatra’s comments a “serious matter internationally” and demanded the Pheu Thai patriarch issue a public apology.
“Discrimination against an individual based on their skin color is a big problem,” she said. “I want Thaksin to apologize for his remarks.”
Thaksin was twice elected prime minister before being ousted in a 2006 military coup. He remains popular with rural Thais but has long run afoul of the country’s pro-military establishment, according to The Post.
The former telecoms executive has been actively seeking votes for Pheu Thai candidates, the paper reported.
Neelapaijit said his daughter, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who became prime minister last August, needs to speak with her father about his controversial comments.
“I hope the prime minister will not ignore the issue and let it pass,” she said, adding Thailand should uphold its commitment to human rights.
Paetongtarn Shinawatra said she was confident that her father had “no intention to make racist remarks.”
“He actually meant to say that he did not want Thai women to undergo surgery, but for them to maintain their natural beauty and take part in beauty contests, they should be encouraged to do so,” she said on Tuesday.
Pheu Thai candidates haven’t tried to distance themselves from the former prime minister, whose support is crucial in their campaigns.
“We are waiting for his confirmation. We want him to help campaign for votes as he did in Chiang Rai,” said Hotrawaisaya Wiwatchai, a candidate in the Sisaket provincial election.
