Bangkok:
A member of one of Thailand’s most powerful business families, the Singha beer clan, has accused his elder brother of sexually assaulting him for over a decade. Siranudh “Psi” Scott, a fourth-generation member of the Bhirombhakdi family and a conservation activist, asked people not to refer to him as a “Singha heir” in an emotional video shared on Facebook over the weekend.
“I don’t want anyone to call me a Singha heir. People don’t know the truth,” he said in Thai, according to a report by The Bangkok Post.
Speaking through tears, Siranudh, 29, alleged that his elder brother, Sunit “Pi” Scott, abused him from the ages of 12 to 24 in their family residences. He said the experience affected his ability to form relationships later in life.
Siranudh also claimed he possesses proof related to the allegations. According to Siranudh, his family members were aware of the incidents but took no action.
“Everyone in my family knows because they heard the tape where he admitted it,” he reportedly said in the video.
He alleged that throughout his ordeal, he sought help from relatives and senior figures within his family but was shown no support. Compounding his distress, Siranudh said his mother was suing him over the inheritance that his late grandfather Chamnong Bhirombhakdi, the former chairman of Singha Corp, left for him.
Siranudh said his mother accuses him of being ungrateful for publicly sharing details about alleged abuse by his brother.
“This year, my mother filed a lawsuit against me to claim property my grandfather gave me…She calls me an ungrateful child because I spoke out about what my caregiver did,” he said.
“When I asked senior members in the family for help, they told me to apologise to my mother,” he added.
Siranudh, who is also known as “Merman” for his swimming prowess and advocacy for the marine environment, said he can’t continue living within the family that “does not value my humanity or understand my pain.”
“I don’t know what to do. I know I cannot live like this. I cannot stay with a family or a clan that does not value my humanity or understand my pain. I’m sorry for causing everyone stress, but I cannot live with people like this,” he said in a tearful clip.
Siranudh, whose father is Scottish, is the founder of Sea You Strong — a volunteer-driven initiative focused on ocean preservation and environmental education. On May 13, he also posted an audio file on his Facebook account, claiming it was “evidence” of his brother’s alleged confession of abuse.
Sunit’s Reply
Singha heir Sunit has rejected the allegation made by his younger brother, calling it untrue. In a video posted on his wife, actress Lapassalan “Mild” Jiravechsoontornkul’s Facebook account, Sunit insisted that claims made by Siranudh never happened.
He reportedly said the allegations were “not true”, calling them “deeply upsetting”. Sunit said he had never intended to do anything of that nature to anyone, let alone his younger brother.
According to the Thai publication Thaiger, Sunit admitted that he and Siranudh argued frequently during childhood. He claimed that he often teased his younger brother, which sometimes escalated to “rough” incidents, but denied that any sexual abuse took place.
Sunit claimed that at the time of the incidents cited by Siranudh, he was too young at the time to understand that his actions were wrong. He also claimed he had attempted to resolve the issue previously and apologised several times over the matter.
Referring to the audio recording posted by his brother, Sunit said he had not expected the conversation to have been secretly recorded.
Sunit also reportedly addressed the family property dispute, claiming ownership of the property belonged jointly to both brothers. He said their mother pursued legal action against his brother after parts of the property were allegedly damaged under Siranudh’s supervision.
His wife later shared land ownership documents online in support of her husband’s statement.