Thailand's flamboyant Thai massage parlor tycoon, Chuwit Kamolvisit will run for the position of "Bangkok Governor" this year, despite publicly admitting he pays hefty bribes to police so that his Thai massage parlor businesses can operate smoothly.
"I will run for the position as governor of Bangkok," Chuwit Kamolvisit told a forum of journalists yesterday.
"Thai Politicians are so dirty, but my massage parlors clean the body and soul. I really should get involved in politics and help clean some people in Thailand's political arena."
Chuwit, whose 6 luxury massage parlors and night-clubs reportedly make some 936 million Thai Baht (US$ 24 million) per year in revenue, admitted that his masseuses were in the thick of Bangkok's booming sex industry.
"Yes, there is prostitution in my massage parlors, I accept that. But I pay loads of taxes every month," he said.
The tycoon further said he was very serious about his candidacy as "Governor of Bangkok" in order to help the city's poor and crack down on all the corruption that is going on. "A lot of people will laugh at me, for wanting to become Bangkok's Governor, but that's okay. I'm 43 years old. If I'm not successful this year, I still have a lot of time to try again."
Chuwit Kamolvisit also recently formed the "First Thai Nation Party" to run against Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and the ruling Thai Rak Thai party in the coming National political race which is expected to start in August 2004.
Chuwit says he is a dedicated defender of Thailand's adult nightlife scene and accompanying prostitution business, but hinted that he could be ordered by the Thai Government to close his massage parlours and nightclubs if he were elected Governor of Bangkok, even I am constantly paying hefty bribes to my friends, the police and Thai officials. "If this ever happens, I will close my massage parlours within 7 days to start serving the Thai public." he added.
Chuwit, who calls Thai politicians "good hearted liars" and his massage girls "psychologists," was quick to pump up his image as the good business who dared to fight openly the current corrupt system. "I am a businessman, and I make a lot of money, and my life consist of nothing else than negotiating to stay in business," he said. "Policemen in Thailand are in reality also businessmen, as they like to come to negotiate deals.", he added
Last year Chuwit caused a national sensation in Thailand when he openly claimed on Thai TV that he paid about 12 million Thai Baht (US$ 310,000) a month in bribes to Thai police officers to keep them away from his businesses.
"In Thailand you need to pay to let the system move things along," he said. "When I pay the money, papers move from table to table until they finally arrive where they should arrive.", he said
Chuwit also lately took a bash at politicians in Thailand who launched the idea of a Thai morals campaign that has curtailed the operating hours of many nighttime entertainment venues from 2 AM to midnight and imposed a 10 PM curfew on Thai youths plus even threatened to shutter down nightspots outside specific entertainment zones in most Thai cities.
"Many of those same moral protecting politicians are regular visitors to the "psychologists" in my massage parlours," he added.
