Thai beauty queen tricked into paying 800,000 baht for victory

A Thai beauty queen demanded justice after a beauty pageant manager deceived her into paying 800,000 baht to secure a crown.

The 27 year old beauty queen, Panicha, also known as Lemon, sought help from non-profit organisation Saimai Survive after she was allegedly duped by the manager of a renowned beauty pageant in the central province of Suphan Buri.

Lemon explained that she won numerous beauty pageants in various provinces across Thailand and planned to take a break from her beauty queen journey. However, the manager of this particular contest contacted her on July 13 last year and persuaded her to postpone her break.

According to Lemon, the manager urged her to join the pageant, even guaranteeing her the winner’s title if she agreed to pay 200,000 baht. Lemon admitted that she agreed to join the contest and paid the bribe in instalments over three months.

Lemon said she was confident in her ability to win without bribery but agreed to pay to ensure her victory. She did not think carefully about the legality of her actions and simply wanted to seize the opportunity for herself.

The beauty pageant took place in March of this year. During the contest, the manager pressured her to pay more to support the contest and find sponsors for the pageant. The manager also borrowed money from her, claiming it would support the event.

In total, Lemon paid 800,000 baht to support both the pageant and the manager. However, despite her contributions, she only reached the top five but did not win the pageant as promised.

Lemon revealed that she immediately questioned why she had not won, and the manager responded that her body shape and abilities had not been sufficient for the winning position.

Lemon believes that she is not the first victim of this manager and has stepped forward to seek justice for herself and other victims. The beauty queen emphasised that she respects the winner of the contest and has no personal issues with her.

Saimai Survive has taken up her case and plans to follow up on the matter with the police station where Lemon filed her complaint.