Miss Thailand sued for photo standing on national flag
Before leaving for the Miss Universe 2021 competition in Israel, Anchilee Scott-Kemmis was criticized for a promotional photo using the national flag as the red carpet.
November 24,Bangkok PostPolice are investigating the case of Anchilee Scott-Kemmis - the new Miss Universe Thailand - who was accused of standing on the national flag in a promotional photo.
The lawsuit was filed by Sonthiya Sawasdee, former adviser to the House of Representatives committee on law, justice and human rights, to Pol Lt Gen Samran Nuanma, commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB) on November 23.
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| The photo that caused the new Miss Universe Thailand to be sued. Photo:Miss Universe Thailand |
Mr. Sonthiya Sawasdee accused Anchilee Scott-Kemmis and the program organizers of violating the National Flag Act 1979 and the Prime Minister's Office notice prohibiting the use of the national flag for commercial purposes.
Sonthiya wants the MPB to investigate Anchilee's misuse of the national flag to avoid setting a bad example for young people because the new Miss Universe Thailand has a large following on social media.
Sonthiya Sawasdee said it was absurd that Miss Universe Thailand 2021 did not know that standing on the national flag was wrong. He wanted to know whether the pageant had consulted the Prime Minister's Office before using the image of the national flag.
The former House committee adviser also said he did not want to file a lawsuit to jail anyone. He was just trying to protect Thailand's reputation.
Decha Kittiwitthayanan, head of the Thanai Klai Took lawyers network, said the crime of defaming the national flag carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison and a fine of 40,000 baht (about $1,000).1,200 USD).
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| Anchilee Scott-Kemmis at the airport on November 23. Photo:Miss Universe Thailand. |
On November 22, TPN Global, the copyright owner of Miss Universe Thailand, said that some people are misinterpreting the photo's message as hateful. The organizers hope that people will support Anchilee Scott-Kemmis at the Miss Universe 2021 pageant held in Israel.
Anchilee Scott-Kemmis is preparing to go to Israel. The Miss Universe 2021 final will take place on the morning of December 13 (Vietnam time).
Before being involved in the national flag incident, Anchilee Scott-Kemmis faced a lot of controversy when she was crowned Miss Universe Thailand 2021. The 22-year-old beauty was said to have an abnormal body shape, standing 1.83 m tall and weighing 71 kg.