Police this morning said they apprehended a photographer in Pathum Thani province accused of sexually assaulting young beauty pageant contestants.
Thanawat Wisetnarakul, 38, was taken into custody last night after being accused of sexual assault including rape by at least 10 women, including a 19-year-old Miss Universe Thailand contestant, prompting pageant officials to say it must come clean about sexual violence.
“It’s time that sexual harrassment is seriously addressed,” said Piyaporn “Pui” Sankosik, the pageant’s executive director. “Every woman has to be protected, and [organizers] do not have to keep things secret just because they’re afraid of the infamy. There is no kind of bad reputation here, because we didn’t do anything wrong.”
The 19-year-old and a 23-year-old colleague filed complaints against Thanawat yesterday at the Lumphini…
