Thailand's #MeToo moment? Political sex assault scandal sparks debate, calls for change

Allegations of rape and sexual assault against a deputy leader of Thailand's oldest political party have stirred hopes for a belated #MeToo movement in the country, as the revelations also raise questions about the impunity and power enjoyed by Thai men.

Prinn Panitchpakdi, 44, resigned as a deputy leader of the Democrat Party in the wake of the allegations, with at least 15 other women thought to be preparing legal action against him.

The British-educated ex-banker and son of a former secretary general of the World Trade Organization currently faces three charges of sexual assault and rape. More are expected to follow as additional victims come forward. He was released on bail over the weekend.

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Prinn denies any wrongdoing and has vowed to clear his name. But his resignation seemingly ended a rising political career and threw his party into chaos.

Thai society has yet to undergo the self-scrutiny of a #MeToo movement, despite frequent allegations of sexual assault by powerful men, which are typically smothered by out-of-court settlements.

The volume and severity of allegations against Prinn, however, have opened a debate on the relationship between men, power and sex in Thailand.

Anna Vidhyaphum accuses Prinn of raping her last year.

The 30-year-old came forward with her allegations to act as a shield, she said, for other victims who have since contacted her for advice on how to begin legal proceedings.

"Public opinion is also my source of power. I'm grateful to those who have reached out to me, sharing their stories and offering me counsel and advice," she told This Week In Asia. "Now I've spoken out, I'm confident that justice will be served."

Vidhyaphum said she is planning to launch a new social media campaign called #StandWithYouToo "to stop victim blaming and shaming and reset the way society thinks about sexual assault".

In addition to the support she received for speaking out, Vidhyaphum said she was also trolled online by conservative voices accusing her of making up the allegations - highlighting the gap in values between Thailand's younger generation and their elders.

"Changes are being made to the mindset of the public and the way society views sexual assault," she said, describing going public with her allegations as possibly "the best decision I've ever made".

The scandal led Democrat Party leader Jurin Laksanawisit to resign as chair of a state-backed committee promoting gender equality - a rare instance of public accountability in Thailand.

"I want to take this opportunity to apologise to the public for everything that has happened regarding Prinn Panitchapakdi," he told reporters.

"As party chief, I'm responsible for bringing Prinn in ... I must take responsibility [for the failure of vetting procedures to raise red flags]."

Campaigners say the reason #MeToo - a movement to publicise long-hidden allegations of sexual assault and harassment that started in the US in 2017 - has yet to make waves in Thailand is bound up with the kingdom's power structures.

Victims in the country are routinely paid off if their allegations begin to gain traction, or else their accusations are buried under prolonged court cases.

Intimidation of victims - especially those from poorer economic backgrounds - is also common, observers say.

"Whether this will be a movement ... depends on what the authorities will do with the case," said Cindy Sirinya Bishop, a Thai actress who campaigns against sexual violence.

"A lot of women are coming forward making charges, but what will become of those charges? I think they'll probably wait to see if it dies off in the darkness."

Sexual assault statistics are not centrally collated by the police in Thailand, making it hard to quantify what could be done to boost prosecution rates.

Women also rarely report sexual crimes to the police, according to Jaded Chuwilai, director of the Women and Men Progressive Movement Foundation, because of an ingrained culture of victim-blaming, light questioning of the accused - especially wealthy men - and a desire to save "face" rather than protect women.

"Far too often the rape offenders are powerful men," he said. "If it happens in the family, often the mother would protect her husband rather than the daughter or niece who are the victims."

In 2019, the foundation analysed 333 news reports covering sexual assault and found "rape" was mentioned in nearly half, with the highest number of victims coming from the 11-15 year old group. But Chuwilai fears many more assaults are taking place and going unpunished.

Women's activists say a shift in mindset is required in Thailand to end the reflex of categorising rape, assault and abuse of women as a "private matter".

"The power of the patriarchy rooted deep in our society and the lack of restraint and self-indulgence of Thai men are contributing factors to why Thailand has never had a #MeToo moment," Chuwilai said.

"But I think we're not too far off from that moment, thanks to the younger generation who are taking matters into their own hands and have less tolerance for these issues - unlike their elders."

This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

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