The man accused of being a Myanmar mafia figure in Pratunam insists he is not a mafia member. He says he just enjoys live streaming on social media and often uses harsh language. He also counters that he has been falsely accused by a Myanmar woman who defrauded others.
The SEE TRUE news team at Thairath TV reported on the "SEE TRUE STORY" program on the Thairath TV YouTube channel about a Nepalese-Myanmar woman who filed a complaint through the SEE TRUE investigative Facebook page. She claimed she had been threatened and harassed since February by a powerful Nepalese-Myanmar man living in the Pratunam area. She accused him of being a mafia figure who intimidated thousands of Nepalese-Myanmar workers in the Pratunam district.
After SEE TRUE aired this report, Mr. Sunje, a Myanmar man accused by the woman, came with his wife and relatives to meet the SEE TRUE news team at Thairath TV to affirm his innocence, denying any mafia-like behavior as alleged in the woman's complaint.
Mr. Sunje explained that the incident seen in a clip, where he went to the woman's apartment at night and had an argument, happened because a group of Nepalese-Myanmar people from Pattaya, Chonburi Province, whom he knows, came looking for the woman at her apartment to collect money owed to another woman. That woman's husband was in jail, charged in a fatal fight case.
During the search for the woman, there was a social media live broadcast. Seeing this, he went to check it out but denied any harassment. When they found the woman, the group from Pattaya took her to discuss money matters at Khlong Tan Police Station. He later learned the dispute stemmed from the woman cheating the family of the man facing charges by promising to use the money for bail and compensation to the victim’s family but failing to do so. A complaint was filed at Pattaya City Police Station, leading to the money collection that night. He said he was not involved but afterward, the woman live streamed defaming him multiple times, which prompted him to retaliate with live streams, possibly causing her displeasure.
Mr. Sunje also clarified that allegations from another Nepalese-Myanmar man accusing him of assault on 5 April are untrue. On that day, the man was drunk and unconscious, passing by a cannabis shop where Mr. Sunje’s younger brother works and provoked trouble, leading to his brother assaulting him. Mr. Sunje did not participate in the assault but intervened and used a cloth to clean the man's blood.
Furthermore, Mr. Sunje denied claims that he worked for a certain association. He said he works in Pratunam and is not affiliated with that association in any way. He only helps others in hardship, such as during the Hat Yai floods when he and Myanmar friends helped the affected, assisted Myanmar people suffering from internal conflict, and cared for bedridden Myanmar patients. He argued that if he were a mafia figure, he would not voluntarily help others like this.
Mr. Sunje also denied past allegations that he collected protection money for some police units. He said these accusations were false and originated in 2019 from people hostile to him, and similarly, the current claims involve the same woman falsely accusing him again. Regarding his frequent presence at the cannabis shop, he explained it is because his younger brother works there and that he uses cannabis to treat his illness, so it is natural to see him there.
Mr. Sunje then provided various documents, including photos of his social contributions, to the SEE TRUE news team to confirm his image as someone who enjoys helping society.
Regarding the complaint from the Nepalese-Myanmar woman claiming harassment by Myanmar mafia, the SEE TRUE team asked about the cause of the harassment. She claimed it began because a male relative was charged in a fatal fight case in Pattaya, Chonburi Province. The relative was among the deceased's group.
Later, the suspect’s parents in Myanmar sent over 200,000 baht through her to help bail the relative out to fight the case, but the bail was not granted. The suspect’s wife then sought help from members of an association, which led to attempts to reclaim the money at her residence in Bangkok, and she has been threatened and harassed since then.