Thai actress alleges being abused by macau888 gambling king
The Thai actress who exposed the illegal gambling activities of her ex-boyfriend said she did so because she was brutally abused by him during their relationship.
Arisara “Due” Thongborisut shared the story of her ex-boyfriend, Chaiwat “Benz” Khajohnboonthaworn, aka Benz Daemon, on Facebook on Sunday, January 5. The 32 year old revealed that her ex and his three brothers operated an illegal online gambling website called macau888.
The investigation started after her announcement on Facebook. The police raided Benz’s condo in the Wattana district of Bangkok and his warehouse on Krungthep Kritha Road in the Saphan Sung district of Bangkok, but Benz was nowhere to be found. It was reported he flew to Taiwan before the police swoop.
The police raided and seized several valuable assets belonging to Benz and his brothers.
Kunakorn “Bright” Khajohnboonthaworn, a Royal Thai Police Deputy Inspector of the Immigration Department, was interrogated. Despite proving his innocence, he eventually stepped down from his role and resigned.
The search for Benz and his other brothers continues.
The Thai actress posted a video on Facebook explaining her reasons for exposing the macau888 gambling website.
In the video, Due revealed that she was subjected to brutal physical and mental abuse by both Benz and his family during their nearly two-year relationship. She claimed that Benz poured hot soup on her head, causing bloody wounds and bruises and that his family was present during the abuse but did not intervene. To support her claims, Due provided photographic evidence.
Due said…
“I was too scared and weak to speak out about the abuse at the time, but I feel ready to do so now with the support of my husband, Sebastian Lee. I learned what real love is and have a good family now, but it hurts every time I look into the mirror and find a scar from that nightmare.”
Due she faced a lot of criticism and questions from netizens about her decision to uncover the crime.
Many believed she wanted money from Benz while others alleged that her husband was rich because of his illegal businesses. One netizen shared a video of her husband travelling in Bangkok under a special service police escort, just like in the Chinese tourist scandal.
Due explained that the service was offered by a hotel in Bangkok and her husband did not know whether it was illegal. She emphasised that her husband has never been involved in any illegal businesses and would never do it in the future. She urged people to focus on the illegal case she uncovered, not her husband.
Due added that she would discuss with her lawyer the legal process for her assault case because it happened a long time ago and might be difficult to process.
According to Kritsana Phattanacharoen, a spokesperson for the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau, the macau888 website was part of a network of seven related sites and had a circulating amount of approximately 5.5 billion baht.
Kritsana stated that the police had issued 55 arrest warrants for those involved in the operation of the website, with 46 suspects arrested and 12 still at large, including the leader, Benz.
He added that the police would be working with the Foreign Affairs Division of the Royal Thai Police to issue red warrants for those suspects who fled the country and seek cooperation from the destination countries.
The police will also investigate any potential involvement of the actress in the business, and if necessary, call her in for questioning.
