Thai beauty to keep her prizes despite lies

[Srikcir]

The Miss Uncensored News Thailand needs to see the movie Slumdog Millionaire and get a grip on life's uncensored realities.

[webfact]

Contest committee asks beauty queen to apologise to the public



BANGKOK: -- The organising committee of “Miss Uncensored News Thailand” contest says it will neither strip its 17-year-old winner, a garbage collector, from the title nor recall all the rewards she received if she comes out to apologise for the lie she told about her educational background.

Somchai Leknoi, manager for the organising committee, said the committee has met and decided not to strip her of the title as the contest has not set any minimum educational qualification for contestants.

He admitted the incident was exposed after a university offered her free education but was told that she graduated only Mathayomsuksa 3 which was not qualified to be enrolled for study.

He also made clear that the committee supported higher education for all beauty pageants no matter how high or low she came from.

The meeting decided not to recall her crown and will allow her to keep all her prize money.

Decision of the committee came as photos of the down-to-earth beauty queen Kanittha “Mint” Pasaeng showing her in beauty queen dress “krap” (bows head to the ground) her mother who is a garbage collector by the dust bins, and her in humble dress helping her mother to collect garbages were widely shared on the social media and won admiration for her gratitude.

When she was asked about her family profession of being garbage collection after she won the title, she replied that she started helping her mom collect garbage when she was in elementary school.

She said she was not ashamed of it, instead was proud because it is a honest livelihood.

“I grew up and got an education because my garbage-collecting mother raised me,” she said.

However, it emerged that Mint, who is now an internet sweetheart, lied about graduating high school to enter the contest. She only finished Mathayomsuksa 3.

She later came out to clarify that she left school at Mathayomsuksa 2 and got a non-formal education to finish Mathayomsuksa 3.

She said she did not intend to deceive anyone, but only she was afraid she would not be able to enter the contest.

She later begged the committee, through the media, not to strip her of her crown, saying she had already passed on the prize money to her family.

The committee later came out to defend the beauty queen after the revelation was spread online.

The Miss Uncensored News Thailand contest opens to transwomen and women.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/contest-committee-asks-beauty-queen-to-apologise-to-the-public


-- Thai PBS 2015-10-29

[canopus1969]

Leave the poor girl alone - don't rub her nose in it you moronic bast*rds.

[bangrak]

IMO, it would have been very unfair to take away from her that small crown and the little money she received for a lie about her level of education, where no minimum was stipulated in the criteria of this, small, beauty pageant.

I would rather have all the officials and (former) MP's, other managers in State enterprises, who have 100% fake or bought university degrees, which there were required to access the position, kicked out, heavily fined, and brought in front of a Court, how many thousands(!) would that be?

Or is this blown-up non-event's origin maybe just the fact that this is about a simple girl, a have-not, a lo-so helping her mother collecting garbage, but, shame, a good looking one? She, or her uncle, shoudn't have been lying, maybe only out of shame about her, low, real grade, but to me she would still deserve a much bigger prize, as a brave little person trying to make a life under the adverse circumstances imposed to the common Thais by 'the system'!

[huawei]

you don't have to go to school to be educated

there are lots of people who drop out of school and make it in this big world

how many business people have made it too the top without finishing school

self made millionaires with out an education...sports stars who just think or bettering them selves

I say good luck to her and hope she goes onto bigger and better things

Education is the most important thing you can give to a child.

There are always exceptions.

No she lied..in any " job" that's a grounds for dismissal . It just reflects poorly on the society.

Others who may have beaten her didn't apply because they hadn't had the necessary education and were ethical.

[bangrak]

what's the problem? She is just following the example of the great role model Yingluck.

Got her degree from a Kentucky University and can't even speak English?

Apparently that University has a reputation for selling their degrees.

Hush, it was made public the Lt. Gen. new Sec. Gen. from the Min. of Defence, and also brother of the present Lt. Gen. PM., has a degree from that very same 'university'...! How many other 'better-off' Thais would have (bought) one from there too, is there a list of their 'alumni' published on the net?)...

[gchurch259]

I am glad for her, but what is this political statement "Miss Uncensored Thailand" ??

I am proud of this Young Lady, who helps her Mother and would like to rise above her current standing.

There are too many who want to sit on the behind on the sidewalk and expect someone to support them.

I am very lucky I was born in a country that afforded a free education thru 12 years and required you to attend school until at least 16 years of age.

Thailand's weakest system is it the Education, too many barely have 4 or 6 years of education, too many or not smart enough to challenge the establishment that is too corrupt and stealing from the majority.

Lastly, I served 26 years in a military where I learned skills that paid me two to three times the average wage after I entered the civilian work force.

I would be glad to pay for this Young Ladies education to complete High School, then she may use her grant for college !!

[bangon04]

If I had had a Thai education, I would probably lie about it too...........

[billphillips]

Let's face the facts, even if by some miracle she did have a multitude of educational achievements at age 17, having obtained them in LoS renders them worthless.

At least she looks fitter / better than the well connected but ugly old bags that normally win this sort of pageant. She can come and sift through my rubbish anytime she likes.

[ggt]

What is the point of penalizing a Thai beauty queen for telling a few lies...in a country build on fraud and corruption?

[SoilSpoil]

Leave the poor girl alone - don't rub her nose in it you moronic bast*rds.

If you apply somewhere and you lie about your qualifications, you'll be fired once your employers find out.

A beauty queen, in her job as role model of moral values, should not lie. Period.

She made a mistake and now has to face the scrutiny. Welcome to the shady world of beauty queens.

[NeilSA1]

you don't have to go to school to be educated

there are lots of people who drop out of school and make it in this big world

how many business people have made it too the top without finishing school

self made millionaires with out an education...sports stars who just think or bettering them selves

I say good luck to her and hope she goes onto bigger and better things

Education is the most important thing you can give to a child.

There are always exceptions.

No she lied..in any " job" that's a grounds for dismissal . It just reflects poorly on the society.

Others who may have beaten her didn't apply because they hadn't had the necessary education and were ethical.

?

It seems there were no restrictions regarding education. "....the contest has not set any minimum educational qualification for contestants..."

Edited October 29, 2015 by NeilSA1

[bangon04]

"as the contest has not set any minimum educational qualification for contestants."

so the contest is actually copying the whole Thai education system... nobody needs to fail.

Edited October 30, 2015 by bangon04

[rfhendrix]

My wife who is Thai, now living with me in the United States, was very surprised at first that I shopped at second hand stores and what they call here "yard sales." That is where people sell their stuff on their front lawns. Later she saw how I made money on these items after I repaired them or otherwise cleaned them up. Now she has come to respect the people she sees going through people's garbage looking for things to recycle. Of course many Thais think of this as not "high-so" so I am very happy to see this young lady not being ashamed of her family for making an honest living. Many of the poor in America are on the public dole so it is refreshing to see people actually work for a living. I am very happy that this girl was allowed to keep the prize. She certainly expresses the desirable character trait of humility. Too bad that some on this forum do not know the meaning of the word and only see an opportunity to throw stones at this young lady.