A new controversy is creeping into the Miss Grand International Organisation, and everybody knows why. Few days back when Anea Garcia from Dominican Republic was dethroned from the title, the MGI Organisation issued a statement where Anea’s incapability of not fulfilling her duties was blamed as the reason for her dethronement.

But Anea’s official statement told an extremely different story, as she claimed that her meals and stay were not taken care of by the Organisation. But what worked as the last nail in the coffin were her allegations that she was sexually assaulted during her reign, and that the safety measures provided to the reigning beauty queen are questionable.

Anea Garcia’s statement read:

“Many thanks to all those who have supported me along this path of competition. This last week has been a week of a lot of strong emotions on decisions and responsibilities for me, fortunately, with the support of the family, friends, and fans I’m good with plans to move ahead.

I know that there are doubts about whether I was dismissed or if I step down as miss grand international?

In Honor of the truth, I felt forced to resign for reasons I will say in brief. I quit as Miss Grand International because I felt like my security, my well-being and my future at stake.

This was a difficult decision for me. Miss Grand International is a relatively new organization, the role of the queen and the organization is still in development. Although I fully understand the responsibility of completing my reign, because I made a commitment, I also felt that it was important to get to my feet to my integrity and to ensure my own personal safety, especially when I was forced to travel alone to foreign countries with no contact person or escort. The organization Miss Grand International was informed of my concerns about my own personal safety, especially after having been sexually assaulted in the south of Sudan. The organization showed little interest on this situation. As I was going through things they continued and breach of contract.

As a result, I had to put my health and well-being in the first place, not only for me, but for all the future queens in this organization that will come after me. I am very grateful for the opportunity to spread the message of peace for my management. I wish the best of luck to miss great Australia Claire Parker during his reign, and I hope that she finds happiness and success as miss grand international.”

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However, the controversial blame game didn’t end here, and the President of Miss Grand International Organization Nawat Itsaragrisil replied with an open letter to speak up the truth. The Open Letter issued by Mr Nawat is as follows –

“Dear all

I would like to make clarify on my last statement due to the post of Anea Garcia on her Social Media which make me be contacted by many international news reporters as followed;

(This could be the last statement from me because I don’t want to waste my time on her anymore)

Since Miss Grand International Organization had the title holders until present, whenever they have been on their duties whether in Thailand or foreign countries, they have never traveled alone. They have always been accompanied by at least 1-3 staffs depending on the hosts and occasions to help our title holders take care of the crown, sash, security, coordinating, photo shooting and video recording which the organization must strictly follow this obligation, you can also prove it from Janelee Chaparro and Lees Garcia, the title holders of 2013 and 2014 respectively.

Likewise, the former title holder of the year 2015, Anea Garcia, when she traveled to perform her duties in South Sudan, the organization assigned the staff to accompany her which is our organization’s normal practice by traveling to meet her at the appointed destination. You could see it from the attached copy of the air tickets. This is the evidence showing our staff’s flights departing Bangkok in order to fly to meet Anea Garcia who had traveled from the US to South Sudan in order to work together. This is our normal practice in case the title holder does not live in Thailand. If she has to travel to do her duties in any foreign countries, she will not depart from Bangkok, but from the point of her residence.

Besides, anyone can investigate the fact from the Crown Hotel in South Sudan where our staff stayed to be her assistant during her missions. Specifically, this staff had taken the crown and sash to her from Thailand as well as doing photo shooting and video recording. As a result, we could have photos of all activities she had done. That is a clear evidence that if no one went along with her as she claimed. How did she have a crown on her head? And how did the organization have photos while she was on duties on our official page or website.

Although her flight and the assistant’s were not the same, the organization had already coordinated with the host and the authority of South Sudan about her visit that it has been our customary practice for over three years. Therefore, all departments exactly realized their own functions and practices well and the host, South Sudan, had been well-prepared for their facilitation since she arrived at South Sudan. So this woman is lying as what she has claimed that she had to do her duties as Miss Grand International title in South Sudan alone.

Typically, the title holder of Miss Grand International can go back home only once before Christmas to celebrate Christmas and New Year with family and get ready to return to Thailand in February to prepare herself for the missions. Anea Garcia went back home once already in November which was scheduled to be back sooner than usual (After the pageant ended less than a month) with the excuse that she had to return to her mother’s wedding. Moreover, she asked to return to Thailand late by the end of March as she claimed about her important university subject to attend which she really could not take a leave as she get a scholarship. After class completion, she would return to Thailand to work with the organization and complete the missions until crowning her successor.

During February, we asked her to come back to Bangkok to attend some special events. When traveling to do charities in Thailand and Myanmar, she was always accompanied by our staffs. For the trip to Myanmar, one of her companions was Ms.Teresa Chaivisut, MGI Vice President. Upon completion of the mission in Myanmar, she returned to the United States again. While she returned to the United States, she realized and agreed to travel from the United States to any destinations to work together in case it was an important task to perform. It was agreed that the team will travel from Thailand and meet her at the destination. It is because she chose to go back to the US again, then when she had to go on duty by the invitation of the host country, South Sudan, she needed to catch the flight from the United States to South Sudan alone to meet with the assistant in South Sudan which is not on duty alone as she has claimed. In this case, if she needs to travel with the assistant, she must follow our rules that she must be based in Thailand according to the agreement so that both of them can depart Thailand together. As a result, she tried to distort the fact by telling the world that she went to perform the duties in South Sudan alone without any staff of Miss Grand International organization.

In addition, In the case of traveling from USA to South Sudan, the organization realized that she would have to travel so far. Thus, we coordinated with the host to facilitate her journey. Eventually, she traveled in business class from Boston, USA to South Sudan and back to Boston, USA, her destination after the missions were completed which was convenient and comfortable for her (Tickets are attached below).

Also, she has claimed that someone was trying to assault her during her missions in South Sudan that was her very bad behavior because she has claimed without evidence or any notification shown to the host or assistant when she was faced with that incident. In addition, according to the organization’s rules, when the title holder of Miss Grand International is on duties, she will always be in the eyes of the follower except at her leisure time. It was like the trip of Anea Garcia traveling to perform her missions in South Sudan. The host took good care of her as well and the assistant of MGIO always asked her for her well-being or asked if she had any other inconvenience. However, she just told she was happy and fine with what she did. Furthermore, the host country, South Sudan, provided her the Royal Suite at the Crown Hotel for her stay which is the best room of the hotel with the maximum standard of security system that anyone are not able to go up to her room. According to the situation, if anything happened or even the incident she has claimed about, she must inform the MGIO’s staff or anyone in authority immediately about the incident in order to lessen the situation in a timely manner. During her duties, she did not have any problems and did not mention anything that made her uncomfortable. She was working joyfully as usual and did not mention a single thing wrong. I, myself, traveled to South Sudan in 2013 along with Miss Grand International 2013, Janelee Charparo and we had to stay at the same hotel. I know that this hotel provides their guests with high security including CCTVs equipped all over the hotel. This is because many ministers of the country often stay here. Thus, according to the information given by our staff and the host, the missions in South Sudan at that time were completed smoothly.

I do not know what her purpose is anyway. I strongly believe it’s kind of bad faith. Based on her claim, she mentioned the incident of being accused of sexual harassment on March 7 that there were still several days left during her missions in South Sudan and she left South Sudan on March 10th. However, she did not report it to anyone, but she reported about the wrong things when she returned to USA several days later by sending an email to the MGIO on March 15th to refer to such incident including other additional requests. When the day of coming back to Thailand to begin the mission on March 21 got closely, it revealed that she did not return and postponed the flight to March 25. Before that, she had begun to demand more things than being mentioned in the contract, by the way, we did not agree on it. She began to tell us about being accused of sexual harassment for the first time. I think it was because she and someone behind her thought tried to propose negotiations with the organization to get what she wanted. This included bringing someone to live with her permanently in Thailand while holding her reign.

Although she claimed about the incident after several days passed, the organization did not remain inactive. We had still investigated the information back to South Sudan, it revealed that any irregularities hadn’t occurred while she was there. Therefore, the organization considered that the accusations were raised without evidence and unilateral and she claimed about it after too many days of returning back to USA. This is kind of defamation and could destroy a good relationship between the host country, South Sudan and MGIO.

It is believed that she has claimed about that just need to get what she wants and to make us accept her conditions. I think she is a real problem maker who is tricky and never respects others and someone who cannot take care of herself. For example, as can be seen from the photos of her which many of you may have seen. Those photos was taken when she returned to her home and joined the party wearing the MGI crown which she took it back with her. She claimed that she needed to wear it at welcome party arranged to congratulate on her success so that the people at the party would admire her as Miss Grand International. When she joined the party at that time, she was wearing a dress that was not really appropriate with her position of a beauty queen. When I first saw that pictures, what I should have done could be dethroning her from the position immediately at that moment, but what I did was just calling to warn her about that. There is no winner in the world who behaves herself like this! She answered only briefly that she was just sorry and she would not behave like that again, this is the first mistake I made that was trying to help protect her.

In addition, she is the one who wants to indulge herself for everything without reason and not concerned with the agreement of the contract such as the last messages she sent to us on March 23rd in which the organization decided to discharge her from Miss Grand International position on the following day. It is due to the fact that we considered she tried to take advantage of the organization through requesting and negotiating in situations that were not appropriate and unreasonable; for instance, posting her messages or pictures in any social media with her permission. We have informed her that the stated matters are subject to working together. It might be a good idea for her to discuss together when she returned to Thailand without negotiation making from outside the country that could get the organization into trouble like this. There were several messages in response to her negotiation which the evidence appeared on every page of the negotiation she made either in email or Line Apps. In fact, she still wanted to hold the position and did not want to resign literally, but she just wanted many more things. It shows that she was exploiting the organization and wanted the organization to be under her conditions. Our organization has standards that could not make it to that point. She also threatened us that if she once felt unhappy with her duties, she would resign and return home immediately. In such cases, if she travels to work in other countries, she might keep slandering or causing problems for those countries without evidence but using just her words if she wants to step down from the position which it would not be good and not what the organization needs it to be. MGIO needs to spread love, help and friendship in all countries.

According to the last negotiation seen from Anea Garcia’s messages, I think no organization would accept this kind of person to work for because she has no standard at all. So far, I’ve still wondered whether the whole story of her life she has let people around the world know is true. For instance, how was she born? What kind of person is she? Which university is she studying at? Is it true when she had to go back earlier than scheduled because her mother got married? And are many other things she has told the public and MGIO true or not? Any time when I asked for proof, she also evaded and I have never seen any evidence of such matters. When she asked permission to fly back to the United States earlier than scheduled in order to attend her mother’s wedding ceremony, before leaving, she promised to send us the pictures so that pageant fans could follow her through MGI official page or website. From that day until now, I would like to see the pictures of her mother’s wedding ceremony or anything related to it including her posts in social media. It is found that she had nothing to post and never posted even about her study that she claimed she went back for it once.

Besides, whenever she returned to the United States, she would always keep silent and it was very hard to contact or didn’t update any information. Even when the organization tried to contact her to update her status, she never replied. Although I, myself, called her so many times, she never called me back or never asked if there was any matter. In general, you should realize that if the president calls you, it means something important. That is what I’m so suspicious about her behaviors during the past.

Moreover, she usually made requests to withdraw money from the organization in advance through mentioning necessities and difficulties of her life; for example, before traveling back to USA at first time during November last year, she asked for money in advance from the organization. Actually, this amount of money should have been given to her for her living expenses in Thailand between December and February. The organization approved her request because we understood her situations and had sympathy for her. Until now, when combined with the first sum of money she received, the amount becomes a total of USD 16,000 and when she came back to work for charity during the February. (Due to no MGI news updates since she wasn’t on duty and she only agreed to stay for only 10 days). Before departure, she asked for another money in advance. For this time, the organization would not approve, but she also cited her difficulties. With kindness again, the organization allowed her negotiation that will be paid only until mid-April because at the end of March, she had to return to live in Thailand. (Everything stated, the evidence can be disclosed).

MGIO and I have been forced to step her down from the position due to the instability of her duties in the future. We wouldn’t love to say or explain anything much since it will affect her and her other issues. But I have to say this because she has never stopped making problems and she has also alleged without evidence or actions. Furthermore, it is something that she should do immediately. As can be seen, she has claimed or said about what many people need answers.

Therefore, I have to response and explain about this.

I strongly hope that from now on she should turn back to look at herself and stop telling things that are not true and without evidence. If she keeps telling things without evidence and speaking from her side only, next time she will be prosecuted by all those involved.

There are also plenty of other evidence because since she has talked or negotiated with us, MGIO has already collected all the evidence and information, but we really need her to stop everything immediately.

Mr. Nawat Itsaragrisil,

President of Miss Grand International Organization”

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