During a parliamentary debate in Thailand that took place on August 16, Pheu Thai MP for Nong Khai province Pongpan Sunthornchai was getting busy looking at barely-dressed women on his iPad.

And he admitted to it.

A photographer managed to snap pictures showing Pongpan fixating on various images of women sexily posing in bikinis, some covering their bare breasts.

Pongpan defended himself that he “no intention” of viewing the pictures and that he “accidentally” clicked on a link that downloaded the images.

Parliament was deliberating on the Commerce Ministry’s transport costs of rice, and eager Pongpan said that he was looking to get more informed on the issue by doing research on his iPad. Self-proclaiming his technological illiteracy with the device, he said that he accidentally clicked a link featuring a photoset of multiple women in bikinis.

The racy photos automatically popped up on the screen, he proclaimed, and that the photos weren’t necessarily pornographic, but just women who were barely-dressed.

Fearing that the technology would further force him with images of sexy women, Pongpan said he was afraid of using his iPad again, wanting to return the “defective” technology that was recently handed out to all MPs; he was sorry for what happened.

The issue, if raised by the House committee, would be addressed personally by Pongpan himself – he said he’d be ready to elaborate on what had happened.

The photographer, who was intimidated by parliament police (to which Pongpan denies having any connection), was met by Pongpan and requested not to show any photos of him sleeping during breaks, for it would damage the image of parliament.

Pongpan said he was completely unaware that the photographer snapped photos of him.

Support ASEAN news Investvine has been a consistent voice in ASEAN news for more than a decade. From breaking news to exclusive interviews with key ASEAN leaders, we have brought you factual and engaging reports – the stories that matter, free of charge. Like many news organisations, we are striving to survive in an age of reduced advertising and biased journalism. Our mission is to rise above today’s challenges and chart tomorrow’s world with clear, dependable reporting. Support us now with a donation of your choosing. Your contribution will help us shine a light on important ASEAN stories, reach more people and lift the manifold voices of this dynamic, influential region.