Opal Addresses Boom Charity Scandal Impact on Public Trust

On November 10, 2026, at the Chalermphrakiat Building 6 at Phramongkutklao Hospital, during the Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Day press conference, the hospital invited the public to donate for medical equipment and the construction of an artificial joint surgery and endoscopy center.

Opal Suchata Chuangsri attended and spoke openly about the recent news surrounding Boom Panadda, which has affected public confidence in charitable foundations and beauty queens. She noted the issue has caused public concern and increased scrutiny of transparency, which is understandable as people become more cautious about supporting foundations. Regarding her own pageant journey, she emphasized using her heart and platform to help patients and the underprivileged without focusing on large sums of money, and never felt her work was compromised because she has always acted with pure intentions.

On whether the Boom news affects the beauty queen industry: "We've seen the news online but haven't had time to read 100% of the details to understand everything. Speaking as someone in the same field, since the news broke, many people feel worried and doubtful about trustworthiness. It may become more scrutinized. But ultimately, as a public figure doing charity work or projects — because beauty queens come with projects, it's not strange. Even when we competed, we didn't do anything huge, yet people still watched to see if we really did it, what we did, how many people we helped. It didn't feel like it had that much impact. It just makes people more aware of transparency. Maybe because we're used to being watched during pageants, it doesn't feel that different."

Is it a personal matter? "It can be seen from two angles. It's a personal matter whether someone chooses to act or not. From the public's perspective, we understand people want transparency in donations and support for foundations. Ultimately it's up to each person to decide if they're comfortable donating. We can't force anyone because no one knows the absolute truth."

Is a beauty queen's duty to volunteer, and people donate because of you? "Yes, there's project support while we're working. For us, being present and doing the work — we never looked at the money, whether donations were large or small. Some fans wanted to find us but we didn't want them to if they had to spend all their money on car payments or installments. Visiting doctors, going to cancer centers regularly, showing up for patients so they see our faces — that makes me happy and it's doable. It may not be grand or change the world. No matter how much money you have, you can't change the world. But it's the heart that wants to do it."

Must social projects come with beauty pageants? "It's good if they do. Some may see it as a formula for success — to compete you must have a project. It depends on the person. Sometimes they don't want to do it and we can't force them. We just see that in the past it was an opportunity, a platform we could genuinely use to help people. Opal admits that if she weren't a beauty queen today doing the projects she did during competition, she wouldn't think she could dedicate herself to causes like breast cancer to this extent, or other issues.