A senator has called on the National Security Council (NSC) to look into the finances of anti-government protest leader Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul, after a photo of her flaunting a brand-name handbag worth more than 200,000 baht was posted on her Facebook page and was widely circulated on social media.
Senator Jetn Sirathranont said on Tuesday that the NSC and related agencies need to examine the wealth of a protest leader, a reference to Ms Panusaya.
She appeared to be unusually rich as her Louis Vuitton handbag is estimated to be worth 221,000 baht, he said.
A probe would shed light on the source of her wealth, said the senator.
Dr Jetn said Ms Panusaya's pro-democracy movement was reported to have received many donations. He also noted that the protest leader, a Thammasat University student, does not have a full-time job.
"There might be other people who want to become leading political activists after seeing these leaders getting richer," the senator said. "The more people seeking to become political movement leaders, the more chaotic the country will be, which might not be good for the economy and society."
Ms Panusaya should disclose her financial transactions for transparency, he added.
The student activist responded on Facebook by saying that there was no cause to be alarmed about her wealth.
Another anti-government activist, Wanwalee "Thee Payao" Thammasattaya, shared Ms Panusaya's post, and questioned the senator’s motives by raising the wealth issue.
Ms Panusaya is from a well-off family so her wealth should not be an issue, Ms Wanwalee said.
