Deaf woman upstages Thai prime minister

Feb 22, 2011, 2:41 GMT

Bangkok - A deaf woman succeeded in grabbing the attention of the Thai prime minister by joining him on stage with a poster claiming that she was selling sex to pay for treatment for her disability, media reports said Tuesday.

Kesarin Wuttiwong, 46, confronted Abhisit Vejjajiva as he was making a speech Monday on the social problem of teenage pregnancies at Bangkok's Bitec convention centre, the Bangkok Post reported.

Kesarin walked on stage carrying a large placard that claimed she had resorted to selling sexual services in order to raise money for treatment of her hearing disability caused by a rare parasitical infection.

Abhisit promised to help her, but the woman did not hear him and continued to draw his attention to her poster until security officers dragged her away.

'I didn't intend to cause any problem or any harm,' Kesarin said. 'I only need someone to help with a hearing device.'

Minister of Health Jurin Laksanavisit told reporters that he had arranged for Kesarin to be admitted to Rajavithi Hospital to be fitted with a cochlear implant, an operation that normally costs about 850,000 baht (28,300 dollars).

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