Political blow lands MP in hot water: Move Forward Party member apologises for assaulting woman

Move Forward Party (MFP) Member of Parliament Sirin Sanguansin yesterday reached out and apologised to the victim of a physical assault, and expressed remorse to voters disappointed by his actions.

The victim, a 26 year old woman, filed a complaint against Sirin at Borwin Police Station in Chon Buri saying the MP punched her in the face while they were in a relationship. The woman added that Sirin also damaged her mobile phone as well.

Many people called for Sirin to provide clarification since the issue was mentioned by several news outlets on June 28. Responding to the public’s demand, Sirin took to Facebook to express his remorse. He began by apologizing for the delay in his explanation. He claimed he had an accident and spent two days having treatment for an injury to his head.

In his apology message, Sirin expressed deep regret for his actions, stating…

“I sincerely apologise for the incident. I regret what I have done. I would like to apologise to the victim, A, and also to her parents. I would like to apologise to all of the people who voted me to be the MP. I am sorry to disappoint you all.”

Sirin expressed his willingness to go through the legal process and an investigation held by the MFP. He said he agreed to accept the consequences of his actions.

Several news agencies reported that he physically assaulted the woman because he cared about her. Sirin denied this line spun by the press adding he had not spoken to the media about the incident and did not want to make an excuse for his actions

Some Thai netizens embraced his apology while many others called for his resignation from the MP position and departure from the party.

Aside from his political involvement, Sirin is also a businessman, serving as an executive director of a car showroom in the Rama 9 neighbourhood of Bangkok.

Sirin joined the MFP as a candidate, replacing Jirawat Arunyakanon, who had resigned to join the Pheu Thai Party due to a difference in opinion regarding the proposed changes to Section 112, also known as the lese majeste law.

ORIGINAL STORY: Move Forward Party MP accused of physically assaulting girlfriend

A Thai woman filed a complaint against a Move Forward Party (MFP) MP claiming he physically assaulted her. The MFP has taken immediate action by initiating investigations into the matter.

Screenshots of the 26 year old Thai woman’s injuries immediately circulated on Thai social media after the posts appeared yesterday on her Instagram account. The posts contained images of a health check report along with visible wounds and bruises on the woman’s body.

The health check report concluded that the woman had sustained bruises and wounds all over her body, including her head, eye, cheek, shoulder, chest, bottom, hand, elbow, knee, and ankle. The pictures she posted show some of the bruises. In another post, the woman shared a picture of a police station with a caption that said…

“If you dare to do it, you must also dare to face the consequences.”

According to a report on ThaiRat, the woman lodged a complaint against her boyfriend, who is an MFP MP, at Borwin Police Station in Chon Buri province on Tuesday, June 27. She alleged that the 27 year old man physically assaulted her and caused damage to her belongings.

The woman revealed that she and the man were in a relationship for about a month before the incident occurred last Friday, June 23 at around 3.30pm. The MP picked her up at the Pattana Golf Club & Resort and helped her load her bags into his car.

Suddenly, for no reason at all, the MP became furious and began shouting at her. After travelling on the Sai Yutthasart Road for a while, the MP allegedly punched her in the face. Then, he stopped the car and reportedly dragged her out of the vehicle.

During the situation, the woman was injured, and her phone was confiscated before he threw it away.

The woman revealed that she later learned that the man was an MFP MP after filing the complaint. The man was reported to be the MP for the Wattana and Talingchan neighbourhoods of Bangkok.

The official Twitter account of the MFP yesterday announced that the party was aware of the incident and considered it to be a serious issue. The party already contacted the victim to gain more information and would bring all of the information to the party discipline committee and later clarify the investigation result to the public.

A similar case occurred in 2019, when the current leader of the MFP and future Prime Minister of Thailand, Pita Limjaroenrat, was accused by his ex-wife, Chutima Teepanart, of physically assaulting her. The case was later dismissed by the court.

At the same time, the Ruam Thai Sang Chart Party, also known as United Thai Nation Party, had just launched its very first campaign called, “Stop Violence Against Women.” The party secretary, spokesperson, and other MPs posted their pictures on several social media platforms. They were in a stop gesture with a caption saying…

“STOP VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN #สสทำร้ายร่างกายผู้หญิง (means MP assaults women).”