Thai MP Recorded Slapping Female Journalist

A veteran politician in Thailand has found himself in hot water after he was recorded slapping a female journalist in the head. Prawit Wongsuwan, a former deputy prime minister who leads the Palang Pracharath Party, slapped Duangthip Yiamphop, a reporter for the Thai Public Broadcasting Service, during an encounter in Bangkok on Friday. Prawit, who is president of the Thai National Olympic Committee, was leaving a meeting with Olympic athletes when Duangthip asked him about the parliamentary vote for new Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, which had concluded moments earlier, the New York Times reports.

"What did you ask? What kind of question is that?" responded Prawit, who'd been a contender for prime minister, while slapping Duangthip on the head. The first slap was hard enough to be heard. Prawit, who once helped oust from office the new prime minister's aunt, then walked away, per the Times. A party spokesperson said the slapping was a light-hearted gesture and that Prawit "was teasing [the journalist] as someone who he is close to," per the BBC. But Thai PBS claimed it was an attempt to intimidate. "Being physically assaulted by the news source in this manner is unacceptable," the company said.

The move drew condemnation from various groups, including Women Press Freedom and the Coalition For Women in Journalism. The Thai Broadcast Journalists Association and the News Broadcasting Council of Thailand submitted a formal request for a parliamentary investigation to determine whether Prawit violated the code of conduct for members of parliament. The former group disputed the explanation that this was all in good fun, claiming there was "anger and intimidation" in Prawit's expression. "It was an outright assault," said association president Ittipan Buathong. (More Thailand stories.)