Thai beauty queen abdicates, admits she is male

November 18, 2000
Web posted at: 7:56 AM HKT (2356 GMT)

BANGKOK, Thailand (Reuters) -- Kesaraporn Duangsawan captured the hearts of the judges and walked away with 6,000 baht ($138) as first runner-up in a Thai beauty contest this month -- until organizers discovered the beauty queen was a man.

A police officer told reporters some of the contestants had complained of unfair competition saying Kesaraporn was actually male.

The disgraced 22-year-old beauty queen handed back the prize money through a friend on Thursday, five days after the annual Loy Krathong festival beauty pageant in the central Thai province of Ratchaburi.

Kesaraporn had asked only to keep the Miss Media runner-up sash as a momento, the police officer told reporters.

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