Thailand: Uneasy Lies the Head

Beauty pageants are supposed to be Cinderella tales, where at the grand finale the queen sobs tears of joy while the losers hug her valiantly. Last week the Miss Thailand World contest ended up in a guerrilla-style skirmish that looked more like a nasty palace coup. While TV cameras recorded the scene, Newly Crowned Saengravee Asavarak, 22, was beaming before a Bangkok audience of 2,000 when someone grabbed her tiara and put it on the head of the sobbing first runner-up. Then another hand attempted to pull off her winner’s sash. Saengravee was popular with the audience, but hardly with other contestants. Some accused her of having her makeup done outside (rather than using Avon cosmetics like everyone else), wearing false eyelashes and having had her nose fixed. When the melee died down, Saengravee wore her crown and sash and was smiling bravely.