Siranut Scott, 29, a fourth-generation member of Thailand's Virombutr family, whose allegations that her older brother sexually abused her during childhood have shaken Thai society. [AFP]
Siranut Scott, 29, a fourth-generation member of Thailand's Virombutr family, whose allegations that her older brother sexually abused her during childhood have shaken Thai society. [AFP]

Thailand has been rocked by allegations from a fourth-generation heir of a prominent business dynasty who says she was sexually abused by her older brother as a child. The brother, once considered a leading candidate to inherit control of Singha, Thailand's best-known beer brand, has been removed from all positions at the company.

Siranut Scott, 29, an environmental activist and fourth-generation member of the Virombutr family, said in a video posted to social media that her older brother, Sunit Scott, had sexually abused her multiple times during her childhood. The video was posted recently, according to AFP and Thai outlets including The Nation and Khaosod.

"Everyone in the family knew because they had all heard a recording of my brother's confession," Siranut said in the video, in tears. "But no one did anything." She added that she no longer wished to live with a family that neither valued nor empathized with her.

In subsequent media interviews, she said Sunit had raped her repeatedly when she was between 9 and 13 years old, during summer holidays when he returned home from boarding school.

Siranut said she first told her family about the abuse roughly three years ago but accepted a financial settlement in exchange for her silence. She said she decided to go public this year after her mother filed a lawsuit against her in a property dispute, leaving her unwilling to stay silent any longer.

As the scandal spread, Boon Rawd Brewery — the Virombutr family's core affiliate and the producer of Singha, widely known as Thailand's national beer — dismissed Sunit Scott from all positions within the company.

Boon Rawd said in a statement that it "deeply regrets what Siranut Scott has experienced" and that it is "fully cooperating with authorities' investigation." Sunit, who said he was resigning, acknowledged that "rough horseplay" had occurred between the siblings but denied the sexual abuse allegations.

The two siblings are fourth-generation descendants of the Virombutr family through their mother, a granddaughter of the dynasty's founder, and their Scottish father. The Virombutr family is one of Thailand's most prominent chaebol, with interests spanning food, hotels, power and real estate in addition to Singha beer. Forbes estimates the family's net worth at approximately $1.75 billion (about 2.63 trillion won).


bbo@heraldcorp.com