Thai political party apologises as sexual misconduct cases mount against executive

The leader of one of Thailand’s biggest political parties apologised on Tuesday over the conduct of a former executive accused by more than a dozen women of sexual abuse in what some activists have called the country’s first “MeToo” moment.

Prinn Panitchpakdi, 44, resigned as deputy leader of the Democrat Party last week and was charged on Saturday with sexual abuse and rape after complaints were filed against him by five women separately.

Prinn, the son of former World Trade Organization (WTO) chief Supachai Panitchpakdi, has denied the charges and was freed on bail on Sunday.

Nine more women have since come forward with similar allegations against Prinn, according to police. Prinn has made no public comment since the new allegations were made and said he was unavailable when contacted by Reuters on Tuesday.

Party leader Jurin Laksanawisit, a close associate of Prinn, on Tuesday apologised over the scandal and acknowledged his role in endorsing him as a senior party member.

“I’m deeply sorry and must apologise for everything that has happened that was linked to a Democrat Party member,” Jurin told a news conference, without elaborating. “As a party leader, I must acknowledge that I was a key part in an effort to bring Prinn into the party.”