Vow to help Yingluck sparks row
Singer Patchara "Fluke" Thammon says he regrets his pledge to help
former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra fight her rice-pledging scheme
battles escalated into a family row.
Fluke, who sympathises with the red shirt cause, last week pledged
10,000 baht to help Ms Yingluck if a court finds she should be held
liable for the multibillion-baht losses incurred by the scheme. |
| Fluke |
After his post drew criticism on social media, his father Songwut Romyapan asked netizens not to drag his family name into the row, as he severed ties with Fluke long ago.
"Do not criticise his family because we don’t accept his behaviour either," Mr Songwut said in a brusquely worded message.
 |
| Fluke's Dad |
He said his decision did not stem from political differences as many thought, but Fluke’s "pig-headedness".
"Whether you ever listen to me or not, you should know that I love you and am proud of what you do.
"Whether you ever listen to me or not, you should know that I love you and am proud of what you do.
"But you are so stubborn and sure of
yourself that I ask to part ways with you, as I am afraid the sins and
omissions you commit will come back to haunt me. I say this with deep
regret and a heavy heart," he said in the letter, which he posted on
Facebook.
Fluke, a finalist in The Star Season 5 contest, left a promising acting career with the Exact label a couple of years ago to pursue an independent singing career. He has a complicated family history, after his father, himself raised as an orphan, entrusted him to a gay friend for his upkeep.
Fluke was just six months old when Mr Songwut ran into trouble with the law.
Sent to jail for four years, Mr Songwut, aged 19 at the time, was worried he would not be able to raise Fluke properly, so asked his friend, Panya "Kru Tor" Thammon, who was in the public service, to take on the job.
Mr Songwut has tried to persuade his son to return so he can raise him again, leading to a battle of wills with Kru Tor and a police complaint a few years ago. Fluke opted to stay with Kru Tor, the man he calls "Pa".
On Thursday, Amarin TV invited Fluke on a talkshow Tang Kon, Tang Kitto to discuss the fuss caused by his donation offer.
The host read out his father's letter disavowing him, which Fluke, who looked crushed, said he hadn't seen.
Moments later the host delivered another surprise, asking Fluke's estranged father to join them in the studio. He did not tell Fluke in advance that his father had also been invited on the show.
Mr Songwut, who took up a seat opposite Fluke, separated only by the host, said he hadn't spoken to Fluke in two or three years. By turns hurt and angry, he wasted no time in telling Fluke the reason he had disavowed him.
"People criticise me for failing to raise you. Have you ever stood up for me just once to say how much I have done for you? This is the real reason I severed ties with you," he said.
At the host's suggestion, Mr Songwut left his seat and stood before Fluke. However, the two didn’t talk directly. "Here … this is your dad," he says.
Fluke said while he was happy to talk to his father again, he would rather do it in private, as it was a family matter.
Writing on his Facebook page later that day, Fluke said he was saddened by the way the TV show treated him. He thought he was going on air to discuss the donation, but the host tricked him by bringing in his father.
"I am sorry the saga over the donation has turned into a family matter, but I do not back away from my stand. In my fact, I am willing to add another 90,000 baht to the sum I pledged to Ms Yingluck before," he said.
Red shirts attacked Mr Songwut on social media after the show aired, claiming he sued Kru Tor for the rights to Fluke’s songs, even though he never raised the boy and took up a whistle for the People’s Democratic Reform Committee as soon as he got out of jail.
Mr Songwut, who has threatened red shirt "hate sites" with legal action, challenged Fluke to defend him, which he promptly did. Fluke said his father, a businessman, had never sued Kru Tor, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree at Abac University before taking up the protest whistle. -
2. Society 'accepts kids born out of wedlock'
Fluke, a finalist in The Star Season 5 contest, left a promising acting career with the Exact label a couple of years ago to pursue an independent singing career. He has a complicated family history, after his father, himself raised as an orphan, entrusted him to a gay friend for his upkeep.
Fluke was just six months old when Mr Songwut ran into trouble with the law.
Sent to jail for four years, Mr Songwut, aged 19 at the time, was worried he would not be able to raise Fluke properly, so asked his friend, Panya "Kru Tor" Thammon, who was in the public service, to take on the job.
Mr Songwut has tried to persuade his son to return so he can raise him again, leading to a battle of wills with Kru Tor and a police complaint a few years ago. Fluke opted to stay with Kru Tor, the man he calls "Pa".
On Thursday, Amarin TV invited Fluke on a talkshow Tang Kon, Tang Kitto to discuss the fuss caused by his donation offer.
The host read out his father's letter disavowing him, which Fluke, who looked crushed, said he hadn't seen.
Moments later the host delivered another surprise, asking Fluke's estranged father to join them in the studio. He did not tell Fluke in advance that his father had also been invited on the show.
Mr Songwut, who took up a seat opposite Fluke, separated only by the host, said he hadn't spoken to Fluke in two or three years. By turns hurt and angry, he wasted no time in telling Fluke the reason he had disavowed him.
"People criticise me for failing to raise you. Have you ever stood up for me just once to say how much I have done for you? This is the real reason I severed ties with you," he said.
At the host's suggestion, Mr Songwut left his seat and stood before Fluke. However, the two didn’t talk directly. "Here … this is your dad," he says.
Fluke said while he was happy to talk to his father again, he would rather do it in private, as it was a family matter.
Writing on his Facebook page later that day, Fluke said he was saddened by the way the TV show treated him. He thought he was going on air to discuss the donation, but the host tricked him by bringing in his father.
"I am sorry the saga over the donation has turned into a family matter, but I do not back away from my stand. In my fact, I am willing to add another 90,000 baht to the sum I pledged to Ms Yingluck before," he said.
Red shirts attacked Mr Songwut on social media after the show aired, claiming he sued Kru Tor for the rights to Fluke’s songs, even though he never raised the boy and took up a whistle for the People’s Democratic Reform Committee as soon as he got out of jail.
Mr Songwut, who has threatened red shirt "hate sites" with legal action, challenged Fluke to defend him, which he promptly did. Fluke said his father, a businessman, had never sued Kru Tor, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree at Abac University before taking up the protest whistle. -
2. Society 'accepts kids born out of wedlock'
 |
| Howard, Amie |
Amie, who has two children out of wedlock to previous lovers, insists she respects Thai customs, in particular her parents’ desire that she marry before having any more children.
However, she says society is broadminded enough these days to accept her decision even if the two decide to go ahead without a formal ceremony.
Amie and Howard, who reunited recently after a one-day break-up widely publicised on social media, said she realises Howard, who has an eye for the ladies, is making efforts to reform himself for her sake. He has also expressed a desire to have children. "When he says sorry for his transgressions, I go soft-hearted and accept.
"We are like that: On one moment, off the next," she said.
Howard, who was raised in Thailand as a child but was deported a few years ago on drug charges, says he is saving for the big day when they will start a family.
While Amie thinks marriage is a good idea, she is also wary of couples who are together for years only to break up once they finally decide to tie the knot.
"I think the world is more open now, and I am ready for him to come out," she said, referring to childbirth.
"As far as marriage is concerned, I view it more as a formality. Everyone regards it as a way of paying respect to Thai traditions, and I still cherish them. But if I have a child before marriage, I wouldn't regard it as a mistake.
"I already have two kids born out of wedlock, and I am able to raise them without causing my parents any duress." -
3. Actress has jitters over starting family
Actress Araya "Chompoo" A Hargate is putting off the day when she has to start a family, despite pressure exerted by the "oldies" in her life.
Chompoo, who married millionaire businessman "Nott" Witsarut in May, is back from a recent work trip to Germany, in which she was accompanied by her mother Waree and mother-in-law, Uraiwan Hanudomsuk.
The two elder women have made no bones about their desire to hug grandchildren soon. At Chompoo's wedding, Mrs Uraiwan said while she was delighted to have a new "daughter" in the family, she would be even happier if she gave her a little one to cuddle.
"It's up to them, but speaking as the grandparents, we are ready any time they are."
In Heidelberg, Mrs Waree and Mrs Uraiwan joined members of the tour party in stroking a local sculpture which is believed to bring good luck.
Media reports said the pair stroked the sculpture in the hope Chompoo would hurry up and have children with Nott. Chompoo herself held back, as she is not yet ready to bring a child into the world.
"The guide says it was a matter of popular belief, but really it's just a gimmick for people on the tour," she said last week.
"If you ask whether I feel under pressure, I know the old folks are waiting, and I am preparing myself by trying to get fit.
"It’s true I didn't touch the sculpture, as I am worried I will get pregnant without a chance to prepare. If I ended up with one, I wouldn't be ready."
Chompoo didn’t disclose how much longer the "oldies" will have to wait.
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