A leading businessman in Trang noted for organising successful tourism campaigns has been excommunicated by his family in a surprise announcement on Thursday.
Suthum Tohtubtiang, the former chairman of Trang Chamber of Commerce, announced the family was severing ties with his younger brother Surin, the chief executive of Kuang Pei San Food Products Plc, producer of canned fish under the Pum Pui Pla Yim brand.
Mr Surin is also chairman of the Thumrin Hotel Group and deputy chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce.
Mr Suthum's announcement to cut family ties with Mr Surin, which gave no details of the reason, has spread over the social media.
Mr Suthum said that in 1971 the family name "Tohtubtiang" was officially registered. All family members had lived with happiness and prosperity until 2013 when Mr Surin was involved in serious misconduct that caused other family members to get into trouble and become hated by people who knew what Mr Surin had done.
Mr Suthum said Mr Surin had destroyed the internal family relationship.
Therefore, he and other members of the Tohtubtiang family had decided to prohibit Mr Surin and his direct descendants from using the family name from the date of announcement, May 28, 2015.
The announcement has drawn a huge amount of attention in Trang since Mr Surin is a well-known businessman both in the province and throughout the country. He was responsible for many initiatives to promote tourism in the province such as undersea weddings, the roasted pig festival and the cake festival.
Salil Tohtubtieng, a younger brother of Mr Suthum and Mr Surin, when asked by reporters for details, said Mr Suthum is on an overseas trip and would issue another statement to clarify the issue when he returns.
Suthee Pongpaiboon law office, acting for Mr Surin, issued a statement calling on Mr Suthum to stop any action that could further damage Mr Surin's reputation. It threatened criminal and civil lawsuits.