Actresses get off scot free
Two high-profile actresses behind a food supplement venture in trouble with the law deny they have sacrificed a sales agent to face charges while they walk away free.
Actress Virakarn "Maprang" Seneetantikul visited the Consumer Protection Police Division last week to give evidence after the agency received a complaint that she and co-shareholder, actress Ranee "Bella" Campen, were running their company as a pyramid scheme and had exaggerated the benefits to consumers in product advertising.
Their company, 99 New One Co, produces a food supplement known as Be Curve, which has drawn the attention of consumer police as they crack down on spurious weight loss and cosmetic products nationwide. These include products for which celebrities have offered paid endorsements, in some cases for products which turned out to be illegal.
Maprang, who also spoke to police earlier this month about the claims, took in "proof" which she said showed the exaggerated advertising for Be Curve did not come from her company but one of its agents.
Unknown to her, a sales agent took a picture of Bella from her Instagram and made up a few catchy slogans for the product, such as "drink this and get thin." Police sent the advertising to the Consumer Protection Board, which advised it was likely in breach of the law.
After speaking to Maparang, police issued a summons for the agent and will charge her with misleading advertising. They also told Maparang and Bella they would not need to give evidence again, effectively letting them off the hook.
Asked whether she had let the agent take the rap so she and Bella could walk free, Maprang said she had acted in the best interests of consumers. "I called in the agent for a warning and tweaked the advertising. But when the agent asked what she is to do [for advertising], I was stumped. I contacted the board for advice," she said.
Maprang, who insists she runs a transparent company which meets all the rules required of it, said she had also sent a product sample to the board and the Medical Sciences Department.
She said in her view the food supplement met all the required approvals but she took the step for her own peace of mind and to put consumer fears at rest. She is also willing to pay any fine which the agent who concocted the fake ads is charged.
"I am not bothered by the publicity, as I am confident in our product and it is just one of many under scrutiny. In fact, I think this fuss is a good thing, as it shows consumers are learning to protect themselves," she said. The case continues.
Janie has a new mate
Actress Janie Tienphosuwan is keeping mum on whether she has plans to tie the knot with a young model, though her admirer's mother is urging fans to keep an eye out for "good news".
Janie and her admirer, model and fitness instructor Mickey Allapach Na Pombhejara, have posted romantic images of them together in the past week, along with messages in English which suggest they are more than just close friends.
Mickey, whose American-born father was a coach to the Thai national football team, and who is himself keen on sports, met Janie at her city gym last year. The pair have weathered initial claims that Janie snatched Mickey from his old girlfriend, and that Mickey's mother was not happy about the union.
"I am there keeping to the shadow but it's my duty to protect my true love," he wrote in a message tagged to Janie last week. Janie replied, saying: "Thank you for being the one person who understood me when no one else did. Thank you for being the one I fell in love with, love and I respect the man you are."
Asked to comment on media reports the couple plan a quiet wedding, Mickey's mother, Siriporn, said Mickey was her only child able to carry forward the family name. "Choosing a daughter in law will be very hard ... but they are both looking after each other well and there might be some good news soon," she said.
A relative of former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's wife, Mickey graduated in sport science at Oregon State University in the US, and obtained a masters degree from Edith Cowan University in Perth. A keen tennis and football player, he is a sports scientist and personal trainer who has also opened a gym in the Aree area.
Janie, who denies she is only interested in wealthy men, last year broke off relations with her former boyfriend, hi-so businessman Chalermchai "Kueng" Mahagitsiri. She also temporarily fell out with some of her closest friends amid claims they knew Kueng was two-timing but said nothing.
In 2014, she divorced millionaire businessman and convicted jailbird politician Chonsawat "Ae" Asavahame after a brief marriage amid claims he beat her.
Som-O, Poj pull back the sheets
Yolratee Khomklong and Poj Arnon
A transgender actress and gay director have come clean about their early love lives, admitting they were stuck in bed with the wrong sex but didn't know what to do about it.
Transgender actress and model Som-O Pratueng, also known as Yolratee Khomklong, who appears in the Thai remake of Korean series, My Love from the Star, said when she was young she went to bed with a tomboy but it failed to arouse her.
"I never liked toms, but when they started flirting with me, I decided to give it a go. However, it never went anywhere, as I didn't know what to do.
"Once I had a really cute tom flirt with me. I was weak-willed and gave in, but we just lay in bed staring at each other and holding hands.
"On the plus side, toms take very good care of me. In fact, one helped pay for my sex change operation, which in those days cost 65,000 baht. My father gave me some, the tom gave me 30,000 baht. I saved 20,000 baht, and my boyfriend chipped in 20,000 baht," she said.
Meanwhile, comedy hit director Poj Arnon said he went to bed with two women when he was in the final years of secondary school, but it didn't work out, as he knew he was gay.
"One was a dara [performer], but we couldn't have sex as I had no feeling. We just slept together. I knew from my mid-teens that I didn't like women sexually, but in those days gays couldn't come out. I couldn't choose what I wanted to be," he said.
Poj, 54, said he is seeing a 22-year-old man from outside the industry whose name he does not want to divulge "as he will suffer a loss of reputation". They met when the young man was just 18 and visited Poj when he was ill in hospital. "I haven't been to see the parents and we have no plans of marriage. Are you mad?" he asked.
A former talent scout who is still known for his ability to pluck young no-names off the street and mould them into stars, Poj said he had never slept with talent in his stable.
"If we had sex we would lose respect for each other, and yet we still have to work with each other. So my boyfriends have to be from outside the industry, and that's fine," he said.
