Less than a month after she was crowned Miss Universe Thailand, pageant winner, Weluree "Fai" Ditsayabut has relinquished her title under
a barrage of criticism for comments she made online against supporters of the
country's ousted prime minister.
"I felt under
pressure. I tried to improve myself but what I could not stand was to see my
mother stressed," an emotional Weluree told reporters in Bangkok on Monday.
After the 22-year-old won the competition on May 17,
scathing comments predating the contest were found on her Facebook page. They referred to pro-government demonstrators, who
are known as "red shirts," as
"dirty" and "evil activists" that should "all be
executed."
"I am not
neutral. I am on the side of His Majesty the King," Weluree said in a
now-deleted Facebook comment from November, when the country's political crisis
began, according to local news site Khaosod English. Weluree reportedly said
Thailand would be cleaner if the "dirty"
red shirts left the country.
Weluree -- an actress, talk show host, and English student, apologized
for her remarks on May 19. "I was
careless. I was young. I did it recklessly," she said in an interview
on Thailand's Channel 3.
But the unrelenting public scorn appears to have worn her
down. "At first, my family was happy
for me when I was crowned," Weluree said Monday. "But there's no more happiness following waves of criticism from
the society." She said the decision was hers alone, and thanked the
pageant judges and her fans for their support.
It is unclear whether Weluree's crown will be passed to the
competition's runner-up and audience favorite Pimbongkod "Ellie" Chankaew.
The pageant controversy emerged at the height of a political
crisis that has plagued Thailand for months, and prompted the military to seize
power in a coup in May.
Credit: CNN News
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