"Lawyer Kaew" held a press conference, admitting he acted thoughtlessly by hugging and kissing an 18-year-old woman in his car. He said he was asked to pay 5 million baht to settle the matter and presented LINE chats that suggested a friendly relationship between them.,
Social media circulated a story about a famous lawyer behaving inappropriately with a 19-year-old woman, the daughter of a tailor shop owner, sparking widespread criticism. Subsequently, Dr. Monchai Chongkairatankul, known as Lawyer Kaew, posted on Facebook expressing regret for the incident and apologized to all parties. He declined to reveal details but said he would clarify the matter through appropriate channels to ensure fairness and transparency, respecting everyone's rights, as previously reported.
Most recently, at 10:00 a.m. on 23 Jan 2026 at Methavalai Residence Hotel, Dr. Monchai Chongkairatankul or Lawyer Kaew held a press conference to explain the incident, offering apologies to his own family, the other family involved, and all related parties.
By Lawyer Kaew recounted that on 26 Dec 2025, Nam Kanchai called me, saying he heard from Benz Apache, who got it from the father of the woman involved. Nam Kanchai asked whether on 12 Sep 2025, I had groped or touched her in the car while driving from Terminal 21 to a restaurant. I was shocked and said I didn’t do that,
but admitted I had driven with her from Terminal 21. During the drive, we talked. When we arrived at the restaurant, we parked and went inside to eat normally. After a while, we took pictures together. After eating, I went to the restroom and returned to the table where she was still sitting. We then paid the bill and walked back to the car.
I told Nam Kanchai that if I had acted like that, she wouldn’t have sat and eaten with me. While I was in the restroom, she would have left and not taken pictures, eaten, and waited for a ride back.
However, while walking back to the car, I don't know what possessed me, but inside the car, I admit I hugged, kissed, and kissed her. After that, I drove toward Crystal Park, driving normally along the way. Before parting, I hugged, kissed, and kissed her again. I sincerely regret my improper and thoughtless behavior and am disappointed in myself for acting that way.
, Lawyer Kaew showed LINE chat messages and said the conversations demonstrated a good friendship between them. He did not delete the chats, and they continued talking normally after the incident.
Regarding his apology messages on LINE, he insisted he did not deceive the young woman and sincerely apologized. The messages from her did not indicate he had done such things to her. In October, they discussed editing video clips. He said if he had been bad, she would have blocked him and stopped talking, but they continued to communicate. He affirmed he did not go beyond what he admitted.
As for the claim that the woman demanded money as an apology, he said that was a frightening term. He apologized sincerely.
Lawyer Kaew added that after that day, they did not communicate until 26 Dec 2025, when Nam Kanchai called him. After learning the details, he called the woman's father and admitted he had acted thoughtlessly. He regretted his improper behavior. The father said it was okay but wanted to meet so he could apologize to the woman. However, he was surprised the father sent the matter to two parties: one to Khun Jang, and another to Ajarn Jaturong and Benz Apache, known in society. As a father himself, he said if he knew such an incident happened, he would have reported it to the police, but instead, the father chose to share it with well-known people.
He saw the first post from Ajarn Jaturong Jongasa and called the woman's father anxiously, mentioning Nam Kanchai’s name to help ease the situation. After that, the father did not answer calls, so he asked Khun Jang for help before the New Year.
Initially, Khun Jang said she did not want to get involved, but eventually called the woman's father, who said, "If you don’t have 10 million baht, don’t come to talk." He told Khun Jang he did not have that much and asked if 1 million baht would be enough to settle the matter. Khun Jang called the father back, who responded that without 5 to 10 million baht, there was no point in talking.
During the New Year, Khun Jang went abroad. He was stressed about how to resolve the amount because he felt sorry for hurting the family and wanted to end the matter while preserving his reputation. He did offer money, but while waiting for a response, he continued working normally. The other party saw him acting cheerfully and posted his photos.
Afterward, he contacted Ajarn Jaturong to mediate, leading to a meeting with the other party on 12 Jan 2026, attended by himself, Ajarn Jaturong, the woman's father, and a lawyer. The other lawyer said they should not discuss photos or legal cases but focus on reconciliation. He apologized sincerely for his thoughtless and improper conduct.
The woman’s father demanded 5 million baht, but he could not afford that and offered 2.5 million baht. They said they would communicate through lawyers and Ajarn Jaturong but received no further contact. Eventually, the matter was publicly revealed through the media, so he came today to explain.