Veteran activist Somyot Pruksakasemsuk has apologised to a woman who accused him of sexual assault, acknowledging he misunderstood her consent and promising not to repeat such acts.
Somyot was responding on Facebook on Saturday, addressing the woman, identified as ‘A’ in an interview published by SocialGaze, an independent media outlet built on the Medium platform.
‘I apologise to A for misunderstanding and thinking that A had given consent, but that was not the case as A described,’ he wrote.
A was 25 at the time, while he was 64, he said, and they lived together for about two years. He described their relationship as agreeable during the first year before they grew estranged in the second.
Somyot said A wanted their relationship to remain private and he had also kept it a secret. He said disagreements became more frequent and intense before the relationship ended.
‘I apologise to A once again. I apologise to everyone upset by this mistake and accept all consequences,’ he wrote.
Somyot is a veteran labour and political activist who has been involved in the democracy movement in Thailand for decades. He was an editor of Voice of Taksin magazine and was imprisoned for lese-majeste under Section 112 of the Criminal Code before resuming his activism after release.
The apology came after A described her experience in an interview published online by SocialGaze, alleging that Somyot sexually assaulted her during trips in 2024.
A said she first met Somyot through political activities and initially regarded him as a respected senior activist and mentor. She described how he became closely involved in her personal and professional life, including arranging work, accompanying her to events and providing advice.
She said Somyot increasingly used intimate language, including calling her ‘darling’ and sending messages saying he missed her. She also said other activists had warned her about his physical contact with people.
She alleged that during a trip in June 2024, Somyot touched her while she was asleep and forced her to have sex without her consent. She said she confronted him afterwards but was told that he could not remember what had happened.
She said a similar incident occurred during a later trip to Chiang Mai, despite her repeatedly saying she did not want sexual contact.
She said she initially remained silent because of shame, fear of being questioned and concerns about having no evidence. She also described financial, personal and professional dependence that made speaking publicly more difficult.
The allegations prompted widespread criticism among democracy activists and on social media.
Sunai Phasuk, an adviser for Human Rights Watch, identified Somyot in an X post, citing accounts from people familiar with the allegations before Somyot posted his apology.
Pipob Udomittipong, a columnist and independent academic, asked Somyot whether he would address other allegations of sexual harassment involving activists.
Somyot replied: ‘Yes. I apologise in every case and promise not to do this again.’