Thai singer denied yesterday that she had any sexual relations with former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, and said she calls him 'Dad' because of the moral support he gives her.
Saranrat Wisutthithada, a 20-year- old pop singer better known by her stage name Lydia, made the denial to Thailand's TV Channel 3 as she prepared to launch her book Lydia, Here I Am.
'I am confirming 100 per cent that I had nothing to do with him,' she said, referring to rumours of the affair.
Thai newspaper reports have in the past few weeks intimated that Lydia had sexual relations with the 58-year-old Thaksin, a billionaire who made his fortune in the telecommunications sector.
'The reputation of my family has been seriously damaged by the news and speculation about my affair with him,' she said.
She denied her family was in debt to Thaksin and had sent her to him as a way of making good on their deal, and also insisted that her new house was not purchased by the former prime minister.
Thaksin is married with three children. He was prime minister from 2001 till last year before he was ousted for alleged corruption and abuse of power.
He and his wife Pojaman have each been charged with two violations under anti-corruption laws. In exile since then, he now resides in London.
Speculation about Lydia's relationship with Thaksin arose after a book about his life in exile was published, with a chapter titled 'Thaksin-Lydia: the close friends of different ages'.
It quoted Thaksin as saying that he enjoyed singing karaoke and playing golf with her.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
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