If you haven’t heard of Chaiyamphawan Munpianjitt, here’s the rundown.
On February 7, the police issued an arrest warrant for the notorious MP over accusations of raping a Taiwanese tourist in Chiang Mai. The incident allegedly occurred on the night of January 9. Chaiyamphawan denied the allegations and vowed to prove his innocence. But the court of public opinion isn’t buying it because this wasn’t the first time.
On November 23, 2023, he was expelled from the Move Forward Party, now the People’s Party, over three allegations of sexual misconduct—though it took them far too long to act. The expulsion was done through voting, and 22 Move Forward MPs voted against his dismissal from the party.
The first allegation was from a member of his campaign team, who accused him of using his authority to harass her sexually. The second complaint accused him of secretly photographing her. The third complaint accused him of inappropriate physical contact. Chaiyamphawan, of course, denied everything and, in a teary press conference following his expulsion from the party, offered his apology for any “misunderstanding” and promised to be “more careful in the future.”
Now conveniently aligned with an obscure political party, the Thai Progress Party, Chaiyamphawan broke his promise, which is unsurprising, given his pattern of behavior.
There is a public outcry for him to resign from his MP post to fight the charges in court, which is the custom to “protect the integrity of the parliament.” Political parties also expressed the demand for his resignation, but not the Thai Progress Party, which only has one MP, Chaiyamphawan. Meanwhile, the Taiwanese Embassy has stated concerns.
A day after the issue was made public, a video surveillance tape from inside a nightclub showed Chaiyamphawan dancing intimately with a female, presumably the Taiwanese tourist in question, who appeared intoxicated. Predictably, some came to Chaiyamphawan’s defense, saying that the video proved consent. But the only thing this excuse proved is the rape culture.
If by miracle, Chaiyamphawan stumbles across this article while pretending to educate himself on the topic—or, more likely, looking for ways to dodge accountability—here’s something he should read carefully because, let’s be honest, his pattern of behavior suggests a repeated offender.
What is rape culture?
Rape culture is a societal framework where sexual violence is normalized, trivialized, or outright condoned through cultural beliefs, media narratives, political complicity, and everyday behaviors. It is rooted in patriarchal systems and first defined in feminist discourse in the 1970s. Patriarchy is a systemic power structure that upholds male dominance by controlling women’s bodies, roles, and autonomy across political, economic, legal, and cultural institutions.
Rape culture perpetuates the idea that sexual violence is an inevitable part of life, often glamorizing male dominance and conflating masculinity with aggression. It thrives on rape myths—false narratives that blame victims, excuse perpetrators, and blur the lines of consent—reinforcing gender stereotypes that cast men as dominant and women as submissive. This culture cuts across gender, race, and class, sustained by language, institutions, media portrayals, and the deafening silence of those in power who prefer complicity over accountability.
Culture of abuse in Thai politics
In Thai politics, or in politics in general, abusing women — physically and verbally — seems to be prevalent. Here’s a recap of just the past few years:
In 2023, a man whom the media dubbed “a powerful politician” was arrested for allegedly paying to have sex with a 15-year-old girl who was forced into prostitution by her mother. Try researching his name, and nothing would come up. Perhaps he’s so “powerful” that none of the media would use his real name in their reports.
In August 2024, Prinn Panitchpakdi, former deputy leader of the Democrat Party, was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison for sexually harassing an 18-year-old student in 2021. He was accused of sexual harassment and rape by at least 10 women.
In 2024, Wuttiphong Thonglour, Move Forward MP, was accused of sexual harassment and expelled from the party. He’s now with the government coalition partner, Chart Pattana Party.
In January of this year, Palang Pracharat Party member and former Olympic gold medalist in boxing Somluck Kamsing was sentenced to three years imprisonment on charges including attempted rape of a teenager.
Beyond sexual abuse, former deputy prime minister General Prawit Wongsuwan physically assaulted a female journalist, slapping her head over a question he did not like.
Sirin Sanguansin, another Move Forward MP, was accused of physically abusing his girlfriend. He remains with the party.
Pita Limjaroenrat, the former leader and prime minister candidate for the Move Forward party, was accused by his ex-wife of physical assault, but it was dismissed as false by the family court.
Beyond physical abuse, to promote Thai women as “world-class models,” Thaksin Shinawatra verbally demeaned an entire race. In one instance, he suggested that even African women could achieve this status despite having “flat noses,” which, according to him, made breathing “difficult.” Relatedly, last week, he personally funded the hiring of Naomi Campbell, a British supermodel of Jamaican and Chinese heritage, to serve as an advisor to Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra’s Soft Power Committee. The aim was to train Thai women to become “world-class models.” By doing so, he shoved his nose where it had no business being—on the bodies of others.
Wipaphan Wongsawang, a former member of the Future Forward Party—later transformed into Move Forward and then the People’s Party—and the founder of Thai Consent, shared her insights at an event hosted by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand (FCCT). She explained that the Future Forward Party had initially dismissed gender policies, prioritizing the reclamation of democracy above all. However, years later, party members sought her advice after accusations of sexual misconduct surfaced among their ranks.
Gender violence is not generational, nor is it either a conservative or liberal issue. It’s an issue that affects all generational and political spectrums. There is no feminism without class struggle and no class struggle without feminism. It’s time political parties remember that.
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