Koop Kip and Bie 'not ashamed'
Actress Sumontip "Koop Kip" Leuangthai and her singer boyfriend
Thassapak "Bie" Hsu have come out fighting against claims they breached
Thai traditions by opting to have a child outside wedlock.
The couple went before the media last week to apologise for their situation, which Bie revealed earlier this month when he confirmed he had made Koop Kip pregnant.
However, they insisted they had nothing to feel ashamed about, and could still go anywhere in public and hold their heads high.
The two have come under fire for rushing into sex, only weeks after declaring they were an item. Koop Kip, 27, announced she was seeing Bie, 25, on her birthday in July, when the couple took a romantic trip to Korea. She says she is now 11 weeks pregnant.
Among the critics were entertainer Ornapa "Ma" Krisdee, who said in today’s day and age, couples rush into sex, and their parents have no choice but to accept the outcome, which often means pregnancy outside marriage.
"They say they planned the pregnancy, but they would say that now, because the deed is done," she said.
In these fast times, couples fly into having sex. The question is whether they bother taking precautions by protecting themselves against the risk of pregnancy.
"No one ever means to do it, but they should at least be conscious of what they are doing first, surely," she said.
"Don’t tell me parents have no choice but to resign themselves to pregnancy outside marriage. There’s nothing wrong with urging caution, but in today’s fast-paced society, people seldom listen."
A teary Bie and Koop Kip said they are aware they have breached Thai traditions, and offered a wai of apology if they had upset friends and family. However, they insisted most reaction had been positive. "We are not saying what we did deserves emulation or praise, as we didn't do everything by the book," Koop Kip said.
"But it's a choice we made for ourselves.
"We accept all the criticism but suspect many people forgive us for what we did.
"We made a mistake with the order of things, but didn't slip up. We thought about it carefully and believe we are prepared for parenthood in terms of age and income. Our families agree we are ready.
"I don’t think a baby before marriage is a reason to feel embarrassed. I can go anywhere and hold my head up. In fact, I think it’s a cause for happiness. We have planned it all," she insisted.
Bie, who is Thai-Taiwanese, said he was aware he should follow local customs, but insisted the pair knew what they were doing.
"I don't want people to say we made a mistake. If we weren't ready, we would not have done it," he said.
The pair admit they have brought their marriage plans forward to March 6, after initially planning to get wed at the end of next year.
Koop Kip, who is Christian, will hold a church ceremony to mark her wedding in January.
They had also planned to buy a home, but will now focus on staying close to family should they need support when the child arrives. Koop Kip said she discovered she was pregnant when she went for a check-up after missing her period. -
2. Sek's ex launches record label
Rocker Sek Loso’s former wife has launched her own recording label as she attempts to start a new life for herself following the couple’s messy divorce.
Wiphakorn "Kan" Sukpimai, who divorced Sek in a court-backed settlement in June, unveiled her label Luster Entertainment last week as she oversaw filming of a music video for one of her young stars, Sirichok "Ball" Sae-Tang.
She also revealed she is about to return to court to enforce their divorce settlement, after Sek fell behind with payments.
In September, Kan said Sek was more than one million baht behind in maintenance
payments he owes the family, even as he launched a multimillion-baht business venture.
"I don’t expect instant riches from the record label. I would like people to get to know our artists first. After that the work will start coming in," she said.
"I have seven artists signed up, five of whom have gone public. Two are bands, three are solo performers, and another two are about to launch."
Kan was accompanied by the couple’s oldest son, Sua, who plays a part in singer Ball’s music video. She said while her label would attempt to mould young talent into stars, her son wasn’t ready for a full-time career as a performer.
"He has to go back to his university studies in Washington DC. We have talked about it. He asked if there was anything he could do to help. As it happens we were filming the MV, and I was looking for actors. I asked him if he wanted to play a role in the video, and he agreed," she said.
Regarding her divorce settlement, Kan said while Sek is now meeting his obligation to pay maintenance of 150,000 baht a month for their three children, he has yet to pay for various other expenses including school fees and hospital visits.
The fate of a five-rai property which his company bought in the Kaset Nawamin Road area, worth 70 million baht, and a townhouse in Wang Thong Lang district is still in the air, with Sek apparently refusing to transfer ownership to the children.
"Sek is worried about the money, so has gone silent. He won’t abide by the terms of settlement, so we go back to court at end of January. I have lowered my demands on everything, but want the land to go into the names of the kids," she said.
Sek, who has yet to comment on the dispute, recently unveiled plans to expand into the retail sector with branded products including a smartphone and energy drink, which he intends selling in his own 7-Eleven-style convenience stores. He boasted the venture promises to bring in billions of baht a year. -
3. Singer denies love triangle
The lead singer of the band Potato denies his new girlfriend acted as a "third hand" forcing an end to his previous relationship, insisting they came together when he was single again.
Patchai "Pup" Pakdesusuk has leapt to the defence of his new girlfriend, rising star Suwapich "Baitoey" Tripornvorakit, amid claims she undermined his long-term relationship with Kaniya "Katoon" Iampichairit. They were together seven years.
Pup said Baitoey, who appears in a music video for the band and a TV series which carries the same name, was sensitive about the claims, and the two had discussed how to cope with them.
He said he and Baitoey had been getting to know each other romantically for about a month, but they started talking only after they were single again. Baitoey has also broken up with her boyfriend recently.
"We have been talking for about a month. I had quit with my girlfriend. I am not one to keep things quiet, I am very direct. We started talking when production of the TV series was almost finished," Pup said.
"Baitoey said both of us are brokenhearted so we understand each other well. We were asking each other for advice.
"We were open about our situation, and didn’t do anything wrong.
"We clicked, because we had a common experience to share. I am older, and she’s the younger one, sure, but when we work together we are both mature about it.
"I have been pretty serious about sticking to the five precepts of Buddism [including staying faithful to your partner]."
Baitoey has yet to talk about their pairing.
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