The organizing committee of Miss Universe Thailand 2020 has disqualified a leading contestant, for allegedly allowing her manager/chaperone to interfere with contest activities, in violation of the beauty contest rules.
Ms. Piyaporn Sankosik, a member of the committee with the exclusive rights to stage the Miss Universe contests in Thailand, told a news conference today (Wednesday) that the committee could not afford to grant any privileges to certain contestants and had to maintain fairness and equal treatment for all.
She said that the contestant in question, Ms. Cheraims Chayathanut, like the other 30 contestants, had signed an agreement to accept all the rules, especially the one which forbids contestants from getting their managers or chaperones involved in activities related to the contest, which would be grounds for disqualification.
The Miss Universe Thailand 2020 drama has raged on social media since last week, after some contestants alleged that one of their peers had put her manager into the inner circle of the contest, giving her access to the secrets and movements of the organizing committee.
In the case of Ms. Cheraims, Ms. Piyaporn said that the committee had evidence to prove that her manager/chaperone had attended countless meetings held by the committee, not just five meetings as claimed, adding that the committee had CCTV footage to prove this.
Accompanied by her manager, Mr. Sitthichai Rewviroj, alias Ken, and a lawyer, Ms. Cheraims told the media yesterday that Ken had worked with her since last year and was looking after her sponsorship.
She claimed that Ken had attended only three meetings related to the beauty contest. She apologized for not notifying the organizing committee about the role of Mr. Sitthichai at the start.
She insisted that she would not quit the contest.
