Thai Singha beer scion speaks up: Once felt ‘like dying’ but ‘made a promise to myself to be free’

BANGKOK – For years, Siranudh Scott kept a traumatic childhood secret, staying quiet about the sexual abuse he allegedly suffered at the hands of his older brother between the ages of nine and 13.

That silence ended in May. The scion of Thailand’s Singha beer empire went public with his story, shattering deep-seated cultural taboos in a conservative society fiercely protective of hierarchy and family reputation.

The Scott brothers, whose father is Scottish, are part of the Bhirombhakdi clan – the billionaire Thai family behind the country’s iconic Singha beer brand, made by Boon Rawd Brewery.

Weeks after the disclosure of abuse allegations, the 29-year-old marine conservationist, who prefers to be known as Psi Samut Scott, spoke to The Straits Times.

The trauma of what he experienced as a child and in the years after made him feel “like dying”, he said at a cafe in Bangkok on May 20.

Yet, out of that despair came a fierce determination to reclaim his life.

“You don’t forget those things. You learn a very quick lesson that blood is not everything. I made a promise to myself to be ‘free’.”

Why now, after years of silence?

“I never wanted to talk about this (before) because I loved my grandfather. He raised us to care about the family and I always viewed my family as an extension of him,” said Psi. His maternal grandfather died in 2015.

In time, he reached a breaking point where he could no longer maintain his silence.

“I realised that I was in hell and I was comfortable with being in hell – and that’s not okay,” he added.

On May 9, Psi caused an internet sensation with a tearful Facebook video accusing his brother, Sunit Scott, who is in his mid-30s, of allegedly abusing him during his childhood years.

That video garnered more than 18.8 million views, generated days of headlines for local media, and prompted growing calls from netizens to boycott Singha brand products.

On May 13, he caused another stir by posting on Facebook a four-minute audio recording of a confrontation with his brother over the alleged sexual abuse that attracted 20 million views.

Sunit has denied the accusations of sexual abuse but acknowledged roughhouse play between boys.

On May 19, the conglomerate’s parent company Boon Rawd Brewery said that Sunit had been removed from all his positions in a statement signed by chief executive Bhurit Bhirombhakdi, who is a cousin of the Scott brothers.

Psi, who has no formal ties to the family business, has since publicly disavowed his “Singha heir” status.

Family inaction to ‘preserve the image’

Psi said he recorded a confession from his brother and shared it with family members years prior.

But he claimed that senior family members refused to intervene, choosing to protect the family name and company over his safety.

“I just kind of accepted that, oh, it’s probably to preserve the image and that’s normal,” he said, speaking in calm, measured tones that contrasted sharply with his emotionally charged online videos earlier in May.

However, after his mother sued him earlier this year over an inheritance property dispute involving assets from his late grandfather, he decided to speak out.

He subsequently left the family home in Hua Hin. Psi’s parents are divorced and he is estranged from his father, with whom he has not spoken in years.

So is this conflict about the abuse allegations, property inheritance or exposing the truth? All of it, he said.

“Because I kept silent... their whole lives are (lived) on the back of my secret. For me, it’s about not carrying the weight of these people. There’s never going to be a perfect time to talk about this,” he added.

At this point, Psi’s family members and Singha’s parent company Boon Rawd Brewery have declined to comment further to the media. The company did not respond to ST’s request for comment.

Empire built on beer

Founded in 1933 by the Scott brothers’ great-grandfather, Phraya Bhirombhakdi, Boon Rawd Brewery established the family as Thailand’s pioneering “master brewer” through its flagship Singha beer. Leadership eventually passed to their grandfather, Chamnong Bhirombhakdi, before shifting to his nephew, Santi Bhirombhakdi.

Under Santi’s stewardship, the family expanded the beverage empire into real estate, hospitality, and food sectors, amassing a net worth that Forbes values at US$1.75 billion (S$2.24 billion).

Today, the fourth generation leads the conglomerate, with Santi’s son, Bhurit, heading Boon Rawd Brewery. Other family members maintain key positions and stakes in the billion-dollar business, including its publicly listed real estate arm, Singha Estate, which has a market capitalisation of about 3.36 billion baht (S$131.75 million).

The Scott brothers’ mother, Chiranuj Bhirombhakdi, is listed as an adviser with Boon Rawd Brewery on LinkedIn.

Addressing Boon Rawd Brewery’s May 19 statement – in which the company expressed its “deepest regret to Siranudh Scott” and pledged to cooperate with any investigations – Psi dismissed the corporate response as a meaningless move.

“There’s no heart in it at all... This is an apology to society,” he told ST.

Saying versus doing the right thing

Jaray Singhakowinta, an assistant professor at the Bangkok-based National Institute of Development Administration, said the company’s CEO-signed statement was a necessary step to rebuild trust and confidence in the brand name.

“But saying the right things and actually changing anything are very different,” he told ST.

While the family name and the Singha brand empire may have suffered a hit from the scandal, Jaray believes it would require much more to shake the 93-year-old Thai institution.

“Business partners tend to be more cautious about taking sides. Most will wait to see how the legal situation plays out before making any decisions,” he said.

“Removing one person from his corporate role looks like accountability on the surface. But investors will want to know whether the company is genuinely examining the conditions that allowed this situation to exist in the first place,” Jaray added.

“One removal is a response to a crisis. Examining how it happened is a sign of genuine institutional change.”

Purawich Watanasukh, a political science lecturer at Thammasat University in Bangkok, told ST the Singha family name has no doubt already suffered reputational damage since the abuse allegations went public.

“However, the key issue is not the content of the (company’s May 19) statement but its timing,” he said.

“This kind of statement is generally expected when such a scandal occurs. Yet the public may have perceived it as too late, especially after consumers had already begun campaigning to boycott the product and had lost trust in the brand.”

If these allegations end up in court, Purawich believes it will have greater implications for the family-run corporation.

“On the one hand, such businesses need to operate as professional organisations with clear structures and governance mechanisms. On the other hand, when family members involved in the corporation become entangled in a scandal, the management team must act quickly to prevent the issue from damaging the corporation as a whole,” he explained.

Due to strict criminal defamation laws and a cultural emphasis on preserving family reputation, powerful figures in Thailand and their family affairs are rarely scrutinised publicly. Psi’s public stand, which kicked off the #PsiScott movement, broke a longstanding taboo – inspiring a wave of public figures, influencers and regular citizens to openly share their own survival stories involving domestic and sexual misconduct.

Busayapa Srisompong, a survivors’ rights lawyer and founder of SHero Thailand – a non-governmental organisation advocating gender justice and working to end domestic violence – said sexual abuse remains a taboo subject in the country and is often under-reported.

“Thailand has strong cultural norms around family reputation, hierarchy and avoiding public shame or conflict. There is often pressure to preserve the image of the family, respected individuals, or institutions, even at the expense of survivors’ safety and well-being,” she said.

While the Bhirombhakdi clan’s prominence has thrust this case into the spotlight, Busayapa emphasised that sexual abuse transcends social class, and no victim is more deserving of justice than another. In her view, Psi’s disclosure has paved the way for deeper public awareness and critical discussions surrounding legal reforms.

How far this story runs is anyone’s guess. Psi told ST he is considering his legal options going forward.

“I won’t go down without a fight,” he said grimly.