MFP MP clarifies sexual harassment accusation, second MP faces same claim
After a Move Forward Party (MFP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Prachin Buri province was accused of sexual harassment, another MP faced the same allegation. Details of his identity have not yet been released.
The Facebook page What MFP Lying About Today (วันนี้ก้าวไกลโกหกอะไร) recently accused Prachin Buri MP, Wuttipong “Jae” Thonglao, of sexually harassing a member of the MFP’s volunteer team. The MP was accused of sending inappropriate sexual messages to the victim.
Another netizen also confirmed the credibility of the allegation, saying that his girlfriend had also been harassed while working with the MP.
The accused MP, Wuttipong, later clarified the issue on social media on October 11, saying it was him and the woman in the conversation. However, the conversation took place last year, before he became an MP. He accused the woman and the page of trying to discredit him because he was now investigating corruption in Prachin Buri province.
“Since the end of the General Election, some people have set themselves up as complainants and called for me to be investigated. For five months, they have been trying to discredit me and the MFP to cover up the corruption I am now investigating. They are digging up information from the past to create a problem for me.”
Wuttipong went on to say that the issue would not affect his work and that he would never give up his work.
The MFP asserted that it had already set up a committee to investigate the matter and would announce its conclusion to the public when it was ready.
The drama does not end with Wuttipong, as the Facebook page has come forward to accuse another MFP MP of the same allegation of sexual harassment. However, the page did not reveal the identity of the person.
MFP spokesman Parit Wacharasindhu told the media that he and the party had admitted that sexual harassment was a problem in the party. Parit insisted that the MFP would never run away from the problem, but would face it and solve it.
Parit stressed that the MFP would not hide the misdeeds of party members to protect the party’s image and would not allow them to become part of the party culture.
ORIGINAL STORY: MFP MP accused of sexually harassing volunteer team member
A Facebook account called What is the MFP lying about today? (วันนี้ก้าวไกลโกหกอะไร), accused a Member of Parliament (MP) in the central province of Prachin Buri from the Move Forward Party (MFP) of sexually harassing a woman from the party’s volunteer team.
The Facebook page shared a screenshot of a conversation between a man and a woman centred on explicit sexual matters with the caption…
“You already have two kids. Why are you still so excited about sex?”
In the chat, the MP allegedly asked the woman about her views on sex toys. The woman expressed her view that such items could be beneficial for everyone but clarified her personal aversion to them. The MP also asked if the woman had ever used a sex toy and she said no.
The MP did not stop there and offered her a used vibrator that he had not used for a long time, which the woman refused to accept. In another conversation, the MP sent the woman an article entitled “The Secret All Women Want to Know: Easy Ways to Notice a Man with high sexual desire,” saying that the article lacked credibility.
In response, the woman asserted she had no interest in such matters. Throughout the conversation, the woman remained calm and tried to end the conversation.
Sexual harassment
The issue was also shared on Twitter. A netizen reported that his friend was a volunteer working with the MP and had also been sexually harassed.
According to the victim’s friend, the victim was a member of the MFP’s volunteer team and had been helping the party since the election campaign. As the victim lived in Prachin Buri, she had to work closely with this MP and was able to talk to him.
The MP reportedly told the woman that he had already divorced his wife and wanted to meet her. However, the woman found out that he was still with his wife and children and broke off the relationship. Despite this, the MP would not end the relationship and allegedly continued to harass her about sex.
The victim reported that she complained to the party on July 30 but no progress was made. The party ignored the issue and let the accused MP work as normal.
The MPF replied to a netizen on Twitter that the party had conducted an investigation into the matter since receiving the complaint. The party explained that the investigation committee was set up in August and conducted interviews with each party throughout September. The party assured that it would announce the conclusion of the matter to the public as soon as possible.
Many netizens criticised the MFP for conducting a quick investigation on almost every issue but not on their problem. They urged the party to investigate the incident as soon as possible.
Similar case reported
Regrettably, this incident isn’t an isolated one within the MFP. Last year, a similar incident emerged when MFP Bangkok Metropolitan Council member Arnuparp Tarnthong sexually harassed four young girls at his condominium.
Arnuparp invited the girls to eat and drink alcohol with him before groping them. The three managed to escape from the condo and later sought help from the non-profit organisation Saimai Survive.
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