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| Leena Jang, top left, Cee, left, Saman Sukserm, below left, and Nathan |
On Monday, the government stripped Nathan of an outstanding youth award, after it found he lied about his age in his application.
Nathan earns the dubious distinction of being the first recipient in the prize's 25-year history to have his award removed.
Adding to the ignominy, Nathan's former label, entertainment company RS Promotion, declared him persona non grata, while admitting that it failed to check the biographical details he provided before submitting his award application.
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| Leena, this time in black |
The donation allowed her to reclaim some family property which she had earlier mortgaged to help Nathan, and which was in danger of being sold by creditors.
Leena has also offered to represent Mrs Saman in her battle to get her money back.
Nathan reported to the Amnat Charoen court on Tuesday for a second time since his arrest last month.
Reporting early in the morning, he managed to avoid his complainant, Mrs Saman.
The Thai Rath newspaper said Nathan entered a non-guilty plea. Court officials concluded that Nathan was no longer willing to enter pre-trial conciliation, as he left before Mrs Saman had arrived.
Nathan brought with him his lawyer, Book, who claims she works for the poor, but won't give her last name.
Holding her client by the arm, Book said she was 80% confident Nathan would beat the charges. Nathan, wearing a striped black and white shirt and vest, declined comment.
Book said that where evidence such as bank transfer slips show that Nathan had borrowed money, he should admit responsibility. Otherwise, he should fight to clear his name.
Leena Jang, the lawyer who has offered to help Mrs Saman, has fired off the first salvo against her legal adversary.
Leena, a lawyer, actress and two-times Bangkok governor candidate known for her shocking pink dresses and high-heeled shoes, said she came forward after seeing Book bully Mrs Saman at the court the week before.
"Nathan's lawyer last week held Mrs Saman in an arm lock, forcing her to go before the cameras to say she regretted filing the complaint.
"That can't go on," said Leena, who heads a charity in her own name offering legal help to the poor.
On Wednesday, Leena gave a 76,000 baht cash donation to Mrs Saman's mother, 83-year-old Pin Sukserm, whose land is among the titles which Mrs Saman mortgaged to help Nathan. Lenders were threatening to foreclose.
Joining sympathetic lawyers from Amnat Charoen, she also offered to represent Mrs Saman in her legal fight.
Mrs Saman and her mother took the money to the Amnat Charoen Land Office to reclaim one of six titles mortgaged to help Nathan.
Nurses from the local hospital attended to Mrs Pin.
Hailing Leena as an angel from heaven, Mrs Pin held the reclaimed land title to her chest in joy. A nurse applied smelling salts to Mrs Pin's right nostril to help her keep her emotions in check.
Leena gave Mrs Pin the cash in bundles of 100 baht notes, and insisted on performing the handover in front of the media.
However, she denied offering to help Mrs Saman simply to boost her own profile.
"I am already famous. I came forward because Mrs Saman needs my help, and I would like to appeal to Thais to rally around," said Leena.
Members of the public have sent Mrs Saman another 20,000 baht.
Nathan was arrested on Dec 23 in Leoi province, outside a fruit plantation owned by a relative of his foster mother.
Police took him to Amnat Charoen province for questioning. The local court told him to report six times over the next month pending a decision on whether his case will go to trial.
While defending Book's right to withhold her surname, Leena said she was wrong to bully Mrs Saman.
"In a court, that's tantamount to coercing evidence. Mrs Saman is not her client, but the main litigant from the other side."
Nathan's former manager, Anucha "Cee" Langprasert, who in November severed his working relationship with the former singer, said he is working on a pocketbook about Nathan.
"It's not an expose, and the Nathan saga changes day by day. Two or three publishing houses have asked me if I want to publish my diary about my time with Nathan, but I am still in two minds," said Cee.
Cee, a former employee of entertainment company RS Promotion, said he helped get Nathan accepted by the company as an artist in its stable.
However, he denied playing any part in Nathan's attempt to dupe a state committee into giving him an outstanding youth award.
Thais complained to the Department of Social Development and Human Security that Nathan faked his application for the 2006 award, helping himself to a win.
The youth award is overseen by the Office for the Protection of Children, the Elderly and the Disadvantaged.
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| Kitti |
Nathan is likely to face civil and criminal action for falsifying his application.
Applicants must be no older than 25. In his application form, Nathan gave his age as 23, yet details of Nathan's citizen ID card, which came to light after his arrest, suggest he is actually 33.
That means that three years ago when he applied for the award, Nathan was aged 30 - five years older than the qualifying age.
"It is up to him whether he returns it, but it is our duty to let Thais know," Mr Kitti said.
Mr Kitti said RS Entertainment had forwarded Nathan's name for consideration.
Defending the staff who submitted the document, RS head Surachai Chetchotisak said his company would help his staff fight any charges which arise.
"They are innocent, as they acted with the best of intentions. They simply passed on biographical details provided by Nathan himself," he said.
"I suspect we were deceived by Nathan from the start.
"In Thai society, Nathan is as good as dead. He should stop all this [nonsense], as Thais know what he is about," he said.
Police say they should be ready to send the case to prosecutors by the end of this month.
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