Senator Angkhana Neelapaijit has called on former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra to withdraw and apologise for public remarks he made in Chiang Rai province, which she says are racist and violate basic human rights.
Thaksin was in the northern province of Chiang Rai on Sunday, to campaign for a Pheu Thai-supported candidate in the Provincial Administrative Organisation election on February 1.
He told his audience that he will promote Thai women, known for their remarkable beauty, as international models, while claiming that it will be easy for Thai women to reach that level because “African women can earn millions of baht, despite their ‘bad features’, including their skin colour.”
Angkhana, a former member of the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand, urged the prime minister, Thaksin’s daughter and formal leader of the ruling Pheu Thai Party, to take the matter seriously.
What Thaksin said was discriminatory and racist, violating the Constitution and human rights protections. Thaksin should apologise for what he said,” she stated.
Thaksin’s statements have faced harsh criticism from netizens, who argued that his remarks could harm the Pheu Thai candidate’s prospects, as they were clearly discriminatory and racist.
Thaksin has previously claimed that he participates in election campaigns as an ‘assistant’ to the candidates. He is widely believed, however, to be the de facto leader of the government, with his daughter serving as a puppet prime minister.
Many have even claimed that the current administration has two prime ministers.
