i'm no gold-digger, online critics lash out, fishing trip horror

Not for a billion baht

May, Joe

Actress Pichanak "May" Sakakorn says she wants nothing more to do with her former policeman boyfriend after a friend of his lashed out at her on the internet.

A woman calling herself Ann Mheechompoo, aided by two friends, last week waged a social media campaign against May, accusing her of sucking men dry of their money and then dumping them.

In response, May unleashed a blistering attack against her former love, Thititsan "Joe" Uthanapol, accusing him of hiring his friends to write internet posts discrediting her.

By the end of the week, "Ann" had apologised, admitting she did not know the couple and was sorry to have damaged May's reputation. May said she accepted the apology, but wanted nothing more to do with Joe. She told the other two women to apologise within hours or face the prospect of legal action.

The saga started when Ann left a post on a journalist’s fanpage saying May duped lovestruck Joe into parting with gifts to her worth 30 million baht, before she finally tired of him and called it quits.

"He bought you an expensive car, and put it in your name, as he was sure the two of you would get married," she wrote, referring to May.

"You knew he had a former wife and children, but chose to stay silent about his past as you were still sucking money from him. His mother, however, was unhappy, and asked if you were working superstitious magic on him to make him so blind. When she ordered her son to demand the return of the car, you flew into a rage and revealed publicly he was a man with a past."

Joe, also known as Joe Ferrari because of his love of fast cars, pursued May avidly, even going down on bended knee to ask for her hand in marriage at a hotel in Bangkok over New Year. The surprise proposal, which made it onto social media, upset May, as it gave rise to incorrect reports the pair had already married.

The post left by "Ann" prompted a flurry of angry responses by May, who denied taking anything from Joe.

"I have my own car, and did not take a ring from him. He bought me a 1.3 million baht watch as a birthday present, which I have offered to give back to him many times. He refuses to accept it, saying he gave it with his heart," she said.

Perhaps more damaging for Joe, May published an excerpt of an internet chat in which he said he had secreted away 230 million baht in the name of a nominee. "I'm a policeman, and don’t want to keep it in a bank as it would attract the attention of the taxman," he said.

In the chat, Joe offers to withdraw the lot and give it to May as cash — but only on condition that she stops showing an interest in her former lover, young hi-so Tanos "Palm" Leesavan.

May last week sent birthday wishes to Palm in an internet post in which she declared she would always love him. Media reports say she was unwilling to accept Joe’s condition and decided on the spot not to marry him.

"What kind of man are you? Go and wear a dress! Don’t be jealous of my ex; why are you hiring someone to discredit me?" she asked in one of her pointed posts aimed at Joe.

"Even if you put one billion baht in front of me, I wouldn’t want you. You told the whole country you loved me, and I feel sorry I believed you. I know it wasn’t true."

May also talked about an episode in which Joe told the media he was entering the monkhood, he was so upset that May rejected his offer of marriage.

"You wrote on social media you’d enter the monkhood for two weeks, but in the end were away just the one. You said you left early because I visited the temple and begged you in tears to come back. It’s not true … I never visited that temple, or asked you to leave. You left yourself," she said.

In other barbed comments, May suggests Joe wasn’t as wealthy as he liked to make out. "Rich people impersonate the poor only in soap operas … in real life, it’s just poor impersonating the rich!" she wrote.

"Let’s assume you caught fire, and I had a glass of water. I wouldn’t try to put you out … I’d drink it!"

By the close of the week, the woman identifying herself as "Ann" had apologised for criticising May, denying Joe had asked her to write.

"Joe has nothing to do with it. What I wrote, I heard through friends. I do not know either of you personally, and beg your forgiveness for sullying your name," she said.

May replied tersely that she was forgiven. For some netizens, however, the episode portrays May in just as bad a light as it does Joe. Some are unhappy that she still hankers in public for Palm, even though he is seeing another woman.

One said both May and Joe ended up with their just deserts: "No one did any wrong. The woman wanted a wealthy man; the man wanted a celebrity. As long as demand met supply, they could carry on. The problem was, neither was genuine with the other, but came with hidden intentions." -

Pay no attention

Baitoey

Sexy singer and actress Suteewan "Baitoey" Thaveesin denies she encouraged a young child to mimic her in revealing attire to boost her own image.

Baitoey came under attack last week after posting a picture of the tubby youngster, dressed in a tiny pair of black shorts and a mid-riff top exposing her stomach.

Tubby tot

"This little girl asked for my picture, but insisted she doesn’t wear minis as short as mine, so we can’t call her Baitoey!" she wrote, saying she was delighted to meet her.

Soon after Baitoey put up that post, a netizen claiming to be a relative of the girl replied, asking her to take the picture down.

The post said Baitoey asked the girl for a picture, not the other way around. "You talk in such vivid terms as if it really happened. She doesn’t even know you. No one in our family admires you … we’re wearing criticism for free. Please take responsibility for your actions and take it down."

Baitoey obliged, but insisted she had evidence to prove the girl was in fact a fan.

"She approached me in the car park of the Union Mall on Aug 8. She sees me as an idol, and even wears a short dress to look like me," Baitoey told reporters.

"The woman who complained is not really a relative at all. I have seen the Facebook page of the little girl’s mother. The mother posted the remarks I left praising her daughter," she said.

Baitoey said a group of dancers and her manager were present and could confirm her version of events. "An aunty figure was carrying the girl in her arms, and pointed me out to the girl. When she called out my name I headed straight over there and gave her a hug.

"They said they were from Prachuap Khiri Khan. The girl danced and sang for us, and we took pictures," she said.

Baitoey said she suspects the post was actually written by one of her persistent critics, who have set up an anti-Baitoey site to discredit her. Previously, they have criticised Baitoey for a supposed affectation for posting in English, while pointing out errors in her grammar.

Baitoey’s boyfriend, actor and DJ Pattanapol "Man" Kunchorn Na Ayutthaya, said he feels sorry for the sexy singer, and tells her to ignore the negative remarks.

"At the moment, we can’t even walk down the street without being criticised," he said.

"I tell her not to bother with Instagram, as it just clutters up the brain. Social media moves so fast, you can end up confused about who is who," he said, referring to the exchange over the girl.

Some critics are not prepared to let the matter rest, however. They say that even if Baitoey’s claims are true, she was still serving as a bad role model to children, if they are prepared to dress in revealing outfits to mimic her.

Baitoey, who says she is a mere entertainer pursuing a profession she loves, denies encouraging children to wear revealing attire. -

Mother's Day visit

Mum visits "O" 

TV host and actor Warut "O" Woratham had a surprise visit in hospital from his mother on Mother’s Day, after he crashed his eco-car into a pickup a few days before.

Orapin Woratham, 78, accompanied by her husband, Ram, 80, visited their only child in Chiang Mai hospital, where he was being treated for four broken ribs and a punctured lung.

O, 45, sustained the injuries in a car crash on Sunday as he was returning home from a spot of fishing. The actor is visiting the city to film his part in a horror directed by his friend, actor and singer Methani "Nino" Buranasiri.

He says he was driving a Suzuki Swift eco-car, which he had bought just a month before. As he entered a narrow stretch of road on a bend, he drove it over the edge, attempted to correct himself, and ended up hitting an approaching pickup. The driver of the pickup suffered slight injuries.

O said he was intending to give his mother a present on Mother’s Day, but was hospitalised before he could get there. His parents, who live in the city, visited him at his bedside instead.

Mrs Orapin, who looks hale and hearty for her age, said the couple’s youngest child died many years ago, leaving only O. She regularly calls to give him encouragement, and on the day of her visit headed straight for his bedside to plant a kiss on his forehead.

Nino, who also paid O a visit, said the actor is queued to film some scenes at the end of the month, but he promised they wouldn’t be too strenuous. O’s doctors have warned him to take it easy, as the actor still has trouble breathing.