One of Thailand’s most powerful business families is facing its most public crisis in memory after a 29-year-old marine conservationist accused his older brother — a Boon Rawd Brewery executive — of years of sexual abuse, prompting the company behind Singha beer to remove the accused man from all positions within the group.
Siranudh “Psi” Scott, a fourth-generation member of the Bhirombhakdi family that controls the Singha empire, posted a tearful video to his Facebook account on May 9 in which he said he had been sexually abused by his older brother, Sunit “Pi” Scott, repeatedly beginning when he was around 10 or 11 years old. The video, watched by hundreds of thousands of people across Thailand, set off nearly two weeks of intense media coverage and a wave of public calls to boycott Singha products.
Siranudh, who has 625,000 Facebook followers and is known for his marine conservation work in southern Thailand, claimed that family members had listened to a recording of Sunit’s alleged confession but took no action. He said he was later expelled from the family’s home in Hua Hin and had been living in the south since 2020. “I don’t want anyone to call me a Singha heir,” he said in the video. “People don’t know the truth.”
On May 13, he posted what he described as an audio recording of his brother’s confession. On May 18, he gave a television interview in which he added that a childhood caregiver had also abused him and that his mother, Chiranuj Bhirombhakdi, rehired the caregiver despite his complaints. He also said his mother filed a lawsuit against him this year seeking to reclaim property his late grandfather, Chamnong Bhirombhakdi, left to him.
Sunit responded publicly on May 12 through a video posted to his wife’s Facebook page. He denied the abuse allegations in full, calling them untrue and said he would never do anything of that nature. He acknowledged rough physical altercations with his younger brother during childhood but described them as typical sibling behavior. He said the audio clip related to quarrels and teasing and that he had apologized at the time without expecting the conversation to have been recorded. Sunit also disputed Siranudh’s account of the property lawsuit, saying the legal action was taken because Siranudh had allowed non-family members into a family home and caused damage to the property.
Boon Rawd Brewery stayed silent for ten days before issuing a statement on May 19, signed by CEO Bhurit Bhirombhakdi — a cousin of the Scott brothers. The company said it expressed its deepest regret to Siranudh for what had occurred and confirmed that Sunit had vacated all positions within Boon Rawd and its affiliated companies. It reaffirmed the group’s opposition to domestic violence in any form, including physical, verbal, and psychological harm. The company said it would cooperate fully with any investigation by relevant authorities.
On the same day, Sunit submitted a letter to Bhurit requesting to step away from his duties until, according to several news sources, “everything is resolved and clearly proven.” He apologized to Boon Rawd Group members and to his family for the disruption caused by the controversy.
The Bhirombhakdi family was ranked 15th on Forbes Thailand’s rich list with an estimated net worth of $1.75 billion. Beyond Singha and Leo beer, the group’s holdings span food manufacturing, hospitality, property, and energy. The family’s public profile has long been carefully managed, making the public nature of this dispute — played out across Facebook, television, and Instagram — unusual by the standards of Thailand’s elite business dynasties.
The allegations and Sunit’s denials remain unresolved. No criminal charges have been filed as of the time of publication, and Thai police have not announced a formal investigation into the abuse claims. The inheritance dispute between Siranudh and his mother is a separate civil matter proceeding through the courts.
