An investment most foul, Likay star heading behind bars, singing songbirds

Self-help guru’s stock dips

Kru Aoy

The Securities and Exchange Commission has stepped in to investigate claims that entrepreneur and self-help guru Thitinart "Kru Aoy"  Na Pattalung involved herself in dodgy sharemarket deals.

It comes days after she complained to police about an online campaign to smear her name.

The commission probe started after an anonymous share trader, known as "Boss", went before the media to complain that Kru Aoy had persuaded him to invest in Asset Bright Public Company Ltd (ABC), an e-commerceand real estate firm in which she is the third largest shareholder.

Boss says he invested 20 million baht in total for himself and a group of her followers, after she told him about a pending deal with an overseas investor which she assured would boost the company's share price. 

While he was aware it was probably illegal to buy shares on the basis of such insider knowledge, he went ahead anyway, with Kru Aoy assuring him she would make good on any loss.

"She told me the price would rise to 15 baht a share. We bought in when the price was 5-6 baht a share,'' he said.

Boss said he invested in the company barely a month after meeting Kru Aoy, who contacted him via his fanpage. Boss, who is well-known in share-trading circles, runs a webpage giving advice on the share market.

The supposed deal with the foreign investor failed to go ahead. "After three months, the share price fell from 4.5 baht to two baht a share. She urged me not to sell, saying the company was fixing the problem, but I went ahead anyway. I lost 13 million baht."

Boss complained that Kru Aoy promised to take responsibility, but never did. He said he is still paying off debts to the shareholders on whose behalf he invested.

The share trader denied he was part of a campaign to get Kru Aoy, despite her claims to the contrary.

Kru Aoy denies coercing Boss to sell with false promises. She admitted some of her followers had lost money buying shares in the company but still believed in her and had not complained.

The self-help entrepreneur offers advice on life skills and getting rich at her Life Compass seminars and in a series of top-selling books of the same name. 

Earlier last week she gave the Department of Special Investigation details of what she says is an organised on-line campaign against her. She said the culprits have threatened to exploit various platforms including websites, YouTube and social media to discredit her name. 

Kru Aoy said the culprits demanded 11 million baht within 36 hours or they would start releasing the information. She refused to pay and went to the police.

Her saga came to light after celebrities earlier complained on social media that she was using their name to help promote her courses without their consent. A week or so later, she disclosed details of the smear campaign, which she said started when the culprits sent her a website link containing personal information about her. 

"The only thing they get right is their claim my father is a red shirt,'' she told the media. ''I have always been open about his past, so that's no secret.''

In recent days, media attention has focused on her shareholding in ABC. The ASTV/Manager newspaper, among her more severe media critics, said Kru Aoy took a 1.9% stake in the company three years ago, worth 1.6 billion baht at its peak amid high volatility in the share price. 

However, the value of her stake had now shrunk to 23 million baht, with the share price having fallen from a peak of 63.5 baht each to just 20 satang.

The paper said her track record as an investor was poor, but she had persuaded her followers to invest with her, with the result that they, too, had lost money.

One of Kru Aoy's supporters went before the media say she had lost 100 million baht on the shares, but still believed in the self-help guru. 

The SEC, which started probing the claims after Boss went before the media, said it was too early to say if a law had been breached. 

Mit still heading to the slammer

Mit

Likay performer Mit Mitchai has lost an appeal against jail time in his fraud dispute with his former lover.

Ranchida “Pui’’ Sithadechanon, who is in the motor industry, accused him of taking up to 35 million baht for a business venture which failed to materialise.

The Thanyaburi appeals court in Pathum Thani last week upheld an earlier sentence that Mit, 21, brother of well-known likay performer Chaiya ‘‘A’’ Mitchai and a likay performer in his own right, should serve six years in jail for the offence, and pay 27 million baht to his creditors.

The court agreed Pui lent him the money as an investment to further his career, not because she succumbed to his charms as he claimed.

Mit earlier admitted receiving up to 20 million baht from his former lover over their 12-month secretive relationship, but insists she gave the money out of affection and cannot expect it back.

Pui, who said she went into debt to raise the funds, said Mit had asked her for the money to start a likay troupe, a likay online venture, and a music video. She said none of the ventures came to fruit because Mit frittered away the money on good living.

The appeal court released Mit on bail of 3.5 million baht, saying the two sides still have a chance to settle the matter.

Later clarifying its decision before the media, the court said the judgment does not order Mit to pay Pui back the debt, as he had entered into a debtor's agreement with two other people for the 35 million baht.  

The two include Pol Col Pachapon Rodpothong, of the Royal Thai Police, whom Pui approached to raise the funds. He earlier took defamation action against Mit after he accused him forcing Mit to sign a loan agreement.

The court said it does not believe Mit was coerced and the pair can sue to recover the funds if he fails to pay up.

Like ‘father’, like ‘son’

Natt

Pu

Singer Pongsit “Pu'' Kamphee has praised the teen winner of The Voice Kids Thailand competition, admitting he has often been likened to the young star but denying jokingly that he is his dad. 

Siripong “Natt’’ Srisuka, 14, from Udon Thani, who won the final of the contest, regards Pu as one of his heroes. 

Both sing in the pheu chiwit folk style. Natt has mastered a tremolo voice like Pu’s, plays his songs, and even looks like him, fans enthuse. 

Asked whether he was his secret Dad, Pu laughed and said the young man probably models himself after him. 

“Nong Natt is in Udon, and I am in Nong Khai. We live close together, so I suppose it's possible I could be his dad,'' he joked.

“Actually, no. He's just at an age where if he likes someone, he wants to be like him,'' Pu said, adding: “By all means sing like me, but don't end up like me when I was a teen,'' referring to his wild past.

Pu said Natt sings with a voice mature beyond his years. “He sounds like a teen of 18 or so, but in fact is still a kid,'' he said. 

The young man won more than 80% of the viewer vote at the final. A crowd favourite from early on, each of his songs pulled in more than 1 million views on YouTube virtually overnight.

Shortly after the final, he returned to Udon to see his mum, who is recovering after a motor accident, to hand her his winnings cheque of 1 million baht.

His mother said she had wanted Natt, who gets good grades, to pursue a career as a policeman. “'However, after I divorced, I realised nothing was certain. When Natt told me he wanted to be an actor and singer, I encouraged him.'' 

She took him to nightspots where he performed as busker, and entered the Voice contest at her urging because she thought it would bring out his true self. 

"As for his future, I am happy for him to make the decision,'' she said.