Young Thais want to cancel K-pop star Sitala over her father’s support of coups and royalists
- Sitala Wongkrachang, daughter of late Thai actor Sarunyoo Wongkrachang, has caused a stir with her debut as a member of the girl group H1-KEY
- On social media, critics complain that while she enjoys a life of fame, ‘the children of Thailand are left to rot to death because of the actions of her family’
Sitala Wongkrachang, daughter of late Thai actor Sarunyoo Wongkrachang, became the centre of a social media controversy this week after the announcement of her debut as a member of the South Korean girl group H1-KEY (pronounced high-key).
As of Friday, the hashtag #BANSITALA was trending on Thai Twitter, with young Thais denouncing her even before the January launch of her album on the Grandline Entertainment label.
Thai internet users zeroed in on her father’s involvement in the royalist movement that played a part in overthrowing two Thai elected prime ministers – Thaksin and Yingluck Shinawatra, in 2006 and 2014 respectively.
They highlighted that while Sitala’s privilege had allowed her to pursue fame and riches, most young Thais her age had seen their opportunities dwindle in a country that has been hit by decades of political chaos and coups that were supported by her father.
On the official Facebook page of H1-KEY, a Facebook user Pat Trisuvan said: