Cathay probes ‘coffee threat’ on Thaksin’s daughter

HONG KONG: Cathay Pacific is probing reports a flight attendant threatened to throw coffee at ousted Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra’s daughter, after calling the politician an “enemy,” the airline said yesterday. The attendant said she wanted to throw the drink at Paetongtarn, one of Thaksin’s three children, after discovering her on board the flight from Bangkok to Hong Kong, according to Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post paper.
“I immediately told my flight manager I could not work knowing the daughter of my enemy was on the plane,” the attendant posted on Facebook, according to the newspaper. “I called my personal adviser asking if it would be all right to throw coffee at Paetongtarn, but was told that this could breach Hong Kong’s laws.” The long-running political crisis in Thailand recently saw its first major street protests against the government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, Thaksin’s younger sister, who is accused by her rivals of being a puppet for her fugitive brother.
The Hong Kong flag carrier said they were investigating “allegations of misconduct” following the Nov. 25 flight. Reports also said the attendant posted a photo of the manifest for the flight Paetongtarn was on. “Cathay Pacific regrets this unfortunate incident and wishes to assure all of our customers that their privacy — and strict adherence to all privacy regulations — is extremely important to us,” a Cathay spokeswoman said.