Beauty queen Panadda Wongphudee counters fake news on Thai-Cambodia border clashes

Former beauty queen Panadda “Boom” Wongphudee️ -- best known for her work in showbiz and media -- now has a new role: combating the barrage of fake news from Cambodia after the recent border flare-up.

As spokesperson for the Ad Hoc Centre for the Thailand-Cambodia Border Situation, Panadda finds herself pitted against Lt-General Maly Socheata, spokesperson for Cambodia’s Defence Ministry.

Socheata led Cambodia's information onslaught during the clashes in late July, acting as a mouthpiece for her government’s allegations against the Thai military. Her barrage of accusations included claims that Thailand had resorted to chemical warfare -- an allegation that was swiftly debunked.

The two sides reached a Malaysia-brokered ceasefire agreement on July 28, but Socheata then accused Thailand of violating the truce while denying Cambodia had planted two landmines that subsequently injured several Thai soldiers.

'Love for the motherland'

Panadda, 49, says her role at the ad hoc centre is voluntary. “It’s not an official position,” she said after being introduced to the press by acting Defence Minister General Natthaphon Narkphanit last Friday (August 8).

“The only reason that I agreed to do this job is because I love my motherland. I just want to use my voice to counter false allegations against our country,” she elaborated in a Facebook post the next day.

She began posting updates from the Thai side to her 4.4 million followers almost immediately, while urging both countries to stick to facts to promote peace.

“Peace without truth is no peace at all. The world deserves both harmony and honesty. Our future is built not on lies but on what is real,” she wrote on Tuesday. “Peace without truth is fragile. And without honesty, trust cannot stand.”

Woman of many roles

Panadda was crowned Miss Thailand and named Miss Photogenic in 2000, at the age of 24. She went on to work as an actress, model and television host, while devoting considerable time to charity efforts. She founded and chairs the Goodness Foundation, a non-profit organisation that supports people suffering crises ranging from natural disasters to financial hardship.

Shortly after the clashes turned deadly on July 24, she visited the border province of Surin, delivering food and essentials to evacuees and clothes and equipment to soldiers stationed in the conflict zone.

Born in Bangkok on January 10, 1976, Panadda earned a bachelor’s degree in business management at Assumption University, before completing two master's in Australia – in international business management at the University of Wollongong and organisational psychology (University of South Australia).

After returning to Thailand, she lectured in the Faculty of Management Sciences at Kasetsart University’s Sriracha campus and later earned a doctorate in business administration from Rangsit University.

She is married to her third husband, Atip Anantawan, a former national sharpshooter and award-winning bodybuilder. They have two young sons and a teenage daughter from Panadda’s previous marriage.

Champion against sex crimes

Panadda began volunteering in 2010, initially as a rescue worker in her spare time. She later became a high-profile campaigner against sexual harassment and sex crimes.

In 2014, when a teenage girl was raped and murdered on a train by a State Railway of Thailand employee, she launched a petition for harsher penalties for convicted rapists. Gathering more than 130,000 signatures, she successfully pushed through legal change that increased the fine 10-fold and barred convicted rapists from receiving royal pardons.

Prison terms, however, remained unchanged at four to 20 years.

She also campaigned for anti-stalking legislation, warning that persistent harassment placed women at risk of sexual assault and violent crime.

Despite her packed schedule, Panadda says helping those in need brings her the greatest satisfaction.

“I won love and loyalty from my fans as an actor, so I should pay it back,” she told an interviewer in 2020. “Celebrity doesn’t last forever, and I should use my fame while I still can and do good deeds for people.”