The SEE TRUE news team reported on the "SEE TRUE STORY" program on Thairath TV's YouTube channel that a Myanmar woman of Nepali descent filed a complaint via the Facebook page "See True Investigative News Thairath TV". She alleged being threatened and intimidated by influential Myanmar-Nepali individuals living in the Pratunam area, described as mafia-like, with claims linking an association to a Myanmar man accused of being part of the mafia.
After this report aired, the Thai-Nepali Association contacted the "See True" Facebook page to clarify that the news caused misunderstandings because the association has no connection to the incidents or to the people accused of being mafia members or to the foreigners involved in the conflicts. They wanted to provide the news team with this other perspective.
Today, the SEE TRUE news team visited the Thai-Nepali Association located in Soi Isarapap 3 near Ban Khak Intersection, Khlong San district, to interview the association's executives for the facts.
Mr. Kittipoom Rai, a committee member and vice president of the Thai-Nepali Association, said the association was registered in 2011 by Thai people of Nepali descent with twelve objectives, summarized as serving society and assisting Nepali-descended people living in Thailand without class distinction or national discrimination.
Mr. Kittipoom said that during various crises in Thailand, such as the Hat Yai floods last year and the major Bangkok floods in 2011, the association mobilized goods and volunteers to help victims.
Even internationally, such as during Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar in 2008 and the Nepal earthquake in 2015, the association sent volunteers to assist affected people. Thus, their activities have focused primarily on public welfare for nearly 16 years.
Mr. Phusira Paudelchetri, a committee member, added that annually the association helps many hospital patients. For example, recently they assisted a patient who lost a leg in a workplace accident and was still hospitalized, with relatives requesting help for medical expenses of about 400,000 to 500,000 baht. The association provided financial support and also collaborates with the Thai Red Cross in blood and body donations.
Regarding the recent news implicating the association, Mr. Phusira said outsiders, mostly foreigners of Nepali descent, often falsely claim to be from the association to cause trouble. When problems arise, the association denies these individuals are members, as it never knew about their actions, causing resentment that leads to attacks on the association.
Mr. Phusira also stated that the association has never paid those individuals. When these outsiders complain to the media and fabricate stories harming the association's reputation, the association must clarify the truth to inform the public. Most problems arise from a small group unhappy with the association, seeking opportunities to damage its image. Sometimes disputes among those individuals lead them to ask the association for help, but the association avoids involvement in such matters, which also frustrates them and prompts attempts to tarnish the association's image.