Thai transgender pioneer weds dashing beau in traditional ceremony

March 2, 2023

BANGKOK – The highly choreographed ceremony followed the traditional Peranakan style, which originated with the first wave of Chinese immigrants to the region six centuries ago.

Poy – who won the Miss Tiffany and Miss International Queen pageants in 2004 – married Oak Bhavagha Hongyok at Phuket’s Baan Ar-Jor. The 84-year-old Sino-colonial estate is a museum, a famed restaurant, and the Hongyok family’s mansion.

Oak’s family traces its roots back to the beginning of Phuket’s tin industry. The family patriarch – Tan Jin Nguan – was a Chinese immigrant who launched tin mining in the province and was bestowed with the royal surname “Hong Yok” for developing the industry.

Poy’s personal history is also impressive. After winning the beauty pageants at the age of 18, she became a force in the entertainment…