Former governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Juthamas Siriwan, yesterday (Dec 20) tendered her resignation as deputy head of Thailand's Puea Padin Party following the revelation of a bribery scandal over the Bangkok International Film Festival (BKKIFF).

The corruption link to Juthamas has been making top headlines all over the Thai and international media since the arrest of Gerald and Patricia Green of Film Festival Management (FFM) in the US on Dec 18.

Juthamas is widely believed to be the recipient of the alleged bribes of $1.7m in return for contracts given to FFM in running BKKIFF.

Despite her resignation, Juthamas maintains her innocence over the bribery case. Her resignation is understood to save the Puea Padin Party from being associated with the scandal. The party is contesting the general parliamentary election this Sunday.

While the Greens are being indicted in the US, the Thai authorities have not pressed charges against Juthamas. Thailand 's National Counter-Corruption Commission is said to be looking into the matter before deciding on any legal action if necessary.

Meanwhile, the fate of BKKIFF remains uncertain with no announcement being made for next year's edition. The festival was postponed from January to July this year.

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