The main opposition People’s Party (PP) has rejected allegations that it pressured a former lawmaker to remain silent after she reported being sexually harassed by a fellow member of its predecessor, the Move Forward Party (MFP).
The dispute follows allegations by former MP Tisana Choonhavan, also known as Kaewta, who said she was sexually harassed by a male MFP legislator during her tenure in parliament. She then claimed PP prioritised protecting its reputation over supporting her.
In a statement issued on Monday night, PP acknowledged that senior party officials had been informed of the allegation. It said Ms Tisana reported the incident to then-deputy party leader Pijarn Chaowapatanawong, who later informed then secretary-general Chaitawat Tulathon because of the seriousness of the allegation.
However, the party said Ms Tisana insisted at the time that she only wanted party leaders to be aware of the incident, did not want any further action taken and declined to identify the alleged perpetrator. Without the suspect’s identity or the complainant’s consent to proceed, the party said it was unable to launch a formal investigation.
The party denied ever asking Ms Tisana to remain silent to protect the organisation’s image, saying it had previously investigated and disciplined members in other misconduct cases and had disclosed those actions publicly.
PP said it remains prepared to investigate the allegation if Ms Tisana now wishes to pursue the matter. It said it has begun contacting her and potential witnesses to gather information, while reaffirming that sexual harassment is a serious offence and that the party does not tolerate protecting offenders.
Ms Tisana, however, immediately challenged the statement, saying she had identified the accused by name to Mr Pijarn within 24 hours of the alleged incident.
She claimed PP lacked a formal mechanism at the time to protect complainants, including procedures for receiving complaints, conducting confidential investigations and providing victims assurance they did not have to continue working alongside those accused.
Earlier, Ms Tisana reiterated that she had clearly identified both the accused lawmaker and his constituency during discussions with party officials.
Mr Chaitawat has separately said Ms Tisana never reported the incident directly to him while he was serving as MFP secretary-general, adding that he was informed by Mr Pijarn, who had told him that she did not wish to disclose the accused lawmaker’s identity at the time.