Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has leapt to the defence of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra over his alleged racist remarks, saying her father had no intention to make such controversial comments.
"I am confident that he had no intention to make racist remarks," Ms Paetongtarn said.
"He actually meant to say that he did not want Thai women to undergo surgery, but for them to maintain their natural beauty and take part in beauty contests, they should be encouraged to do so," she said.
"There is no way he is racist ... People in other countries are beautiful in their own ways."
Thaksin is widely believed to be the de facto leader of Pheu Thai, which is led by his daughter Ms Paetongtarn. He came under fire over a speech at a campaign rally in Chiang Rai on Sunday, where he encouraged more Thais to find opportunities in the entertainment industry.
However, he made disparaging comments about models from Africa in his speech.
"African people, who have black skin and flat noses that make it difficult to breathe, are hired for millions of baht to be models. Thai people look much better. There's no need for [our people to get] nose, jaw or breast augmentation," Thaksin said.
"It's time to encourage more Thais, including those from ethnic groups like the Karen, who possess natural beauty, to become international models," he said.
