The Move Forward MP accused of sexually harassing three women said he would not resign from his party, he said in a press conference today, until he is deemed guilty by the Election Commission.
Chaiyamparwaan “Puaut” Manpianjit, the Move Forward MP accused of sexual harassment in three separate cases, responded to questions from reporters today. He emphasized that he is prepared to resign should the Election Commission, which is carrying out a probe to assess whether there was any misconduct, find him guilty.
The press conference was held in response to a letter sent to him by his party this morning, demanding that he acknowledge his misconduct and apologize.
“I would like to reiterate like last time, if the Election Commission investigation found that I am guilty, then I am ready to resign from the Move Forward party,” Chayamparwaan told reporters.
Chaiyamparwaan was in tears during the press conference. And while he seemed to be apologetic over the harm he had caused, he maintained that he would remain in the party until proven guilty.
The allegations
Chaiyamparwaan stands accused of harassing three victims, who are all members of the Move Forward party.
The first victim said she had worked with him for over three years, and he would try to make her earn his trust and would try to touch her. She claims that initially she saw it as playful, until one day he invited her to go out for drinks. After she had passed out from drinking too much, she alleged that Chaiyamparwaan had sexually assaulted her. After this incident, she said Chaiyamparwaan would ask her, on several occasions, to have sex with him. She did not come forward until she heard about the two other allegations.
When the matter was reported to the disciplinary committee, Chaiyamparwaan allegedly called her to apologize and could be heard crying over the phone. She alleged that Chaiyamparwaan pleaded with her to tell the committee not to dole out a harsh punishment as he wanted to continue working for the party, seeing this as a compromise from both sides.
The second victim was a volunteer during a Move Forward election campaign. When the party won the people’s vote in May, Chaiyamparwaan chose to hire her as an assistant for the party. When they got close, Chaiyamparwaan allegedly would often touch her arms, head, shoulders, even going so far as to playfully massage her and invite her out for drinks.
The third victim said she had been working with Chaiyamparwaan for one month before he asked her whether she had a boyfriend. When she responded that she was talking to people, Chaiyamparwaan allegedly responded, “So that means you’re still single.”
Chaiyamparwaan insisted that his interactions with the victims were friendly and there was no intention of committing acts of sexual harassment. He claims that he has kept chat logs with one of the victims, which purportedly show that they had always been intimate and friendly.
He mentioned that he respects the party’s decision and requested that the media consider the evidence to determine whether his actions constitute sexual harassment and if he should be held accountable.
He said after the press conference he would continue to meet with the victims to resolve the issues.
The fallout
The Move Forward party, whose members have been reprimanded in recent months due to allegations of sexual harassment, sent a letter to Chaiyamparwaan this morning demanding he publicly acknowledge his wrongdoing.
The party also demanded that he sincerely apologize to all three victims and offer compensation, along with proof of his compliance.
He is also ordered to cease any harm to all three victims directly and indirectly, as well as cease any actions deemed inappropriate that could cause discomfort or humiliation towards fellow party members.
If the conditions are not met by the end of Saturday, it will be considered a severe disciplinary offense, with the highest possible penalty being expulsion from party membership.
Late on Wednesday evening the party voted on the fates of their members, Chaiyamphawan and Wuttiphong Thonglour, both of whom were recently accused of sexual harassment. While Wuttiphong was ejected from the party following the vote, the party controversially voted to let Chaiyamphawan remain, though he is now on probation and has had his organizational rights stripped.
As a response, several of Move Forward’s female MPs changed their profile pictures to black in protest against the party’s decision to keep him.
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1 Move Forward party MP expelled, another on probation amid sexual harassment accusations
