Ex-police chief romance: Not very secret
A young woman has been documenting her relationship with a former national police chief on Facebook and using his surname even though his wife insists there has been no divorce.
A young woman has been documenting her relationship with a former national police chief on Facebook and using his surname even though his wife insists there has been no divorce.
Please join us on our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/bangkokpostlearning
Wife of philandering ex-top cop denies they're divorced
Online reporters
Khunying Kerdsiri Sarutanond, wife of Pol Gen Sant Sarutanond, insists she has not signed any divorce papers with the former police chief, and that anyone else claiming to be his wife is either making false claims or has committed bigamy.
Khunying Kerdsiri broke her silence on Tuesday after a news story about a young woman using 72-year-old Pol Gen Sant's surname drew strong public attention and was widely debated over social media.
Eyebrows were raised when people noticed the personal background of the ex-police chief in Thai-language Wikipedia showed he had divorced and his long-time young companion was his new wife.
On her Facebook page, the young woman called herself “Yuwared Sarutanond’’.
A photo posted on the Yuwared Sarutanond Facebook page on December 17 from Bangkok.
Photos of Ms Yuwared and Pol Gen Sant together at social functions and doing yoga together went viral online after Praew women’s magazine, posted them on its website, www.praew.com.
The magazine’s website features photos of the 72-year-old former police chief accompanied by the young woman at various locations, and always staying very close to her.
In the letter sent to the media on Tuesday, the sender, claiming to be Khunying Kerdsiri Sarutanond, said reports that she had signed off on a divorce with Pol Gen Sant were not true.
She stressed that she never thought of divorcing him. She and Pol Gen Sant still were still married and resided at the same address.
If there was any document, or news report, purporting to show that she and her husband were divorced, then it was just hearsay and the document was faked, she said.
If someone else claimed to be the spouse of Pol Gen Sant, or showed a certificate of marriage with him, that person was making a false claim or had committed bigamy, which was illegal, she said.
The letter, dated on Dec 20, gave the sender's address as in Sukhumvit Soi 68, in Bangkok’s Bang Na area. The signature on the letter was "Khunying Kerdsiri".
Khunying Kerdsiri Sarutanond, wife of Pol Gen Sant Sarutanond, sent this letter to local media on Tuesday, insisting that she has not signed any divorce papers with the 72-year-old former police chief. (Post Today photo)
On its website, Praew magazine expressed doubts after seeing an Instagram which showed Ms Yuwared had changed her surname from “Kangsatan’’ to “Sarutanond’’. It wondered when the retired former police chief divorced his wife, Khunying Kerdsiri.
The magazine found an answer regarding her name change in Hello Thailand magazine, issue dated Sept 23 this year, which quoted the woman as saying that she had received permission from Pol Gen Sant to use his family name. She had been taking care of him for a long time, she said.
The Thai language Wikipedia page has since changed its entry. Thai media outlets received the letter from Khunying Kerdsiri explaining the matter. Praew magazine showed her letter on its website.
Pol Gen Sant was national police chief from 2001 to 2004, when he retired.
สามารถฝึกอ่านออกเสียงและดูคำแปลได้ที่ : http://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/learning-from-news/1164260/ex-police-chief-romance-not-very-secret
