In a telephone interview, Chuwit said he believed the ban may be due to either
his outspoken demands that an American museum return a precious Thai crown or
his previous ownership of massage parlors.
"The United States has totally closed the door for me. I am a small Thai man, I
can't do anything to fight against the giant American," Chuwit said.
US Embassy officials were not immediately available for comment. The embassy
never comments on exactly why visa applications are rejected but sometimes
cites provisions of the Immigration Act outlining reasons for barring
applicants.
Chuwit was a major player in Thailand's vast sex industry for years before
coming out to expose police officers who demanded huge bribes for turning a
blind eye to his business. Several police officers were suspended or
transferred to inactive positions after his exposures.
He later sold his massage parlors - which are legal in Thailand but often act
as fronts for illegal prostitution - and turned to politics, winning a
parliamentary seat in January's general election.
Early this year, a court also acquitted him on charges of forcing underage
women into the sex trade. The United States closely monitors the trafficking of
underage women in Southeast Asia.
In a parliamentary debate in July, Chuwit said he had just previously flown to
the United States to gather evidence on a corruption case. But in the interview
he said his last US trip had been in February this year.
Chuwit has joined other Thai protesters demanding the return of a pure gold,
5-kilogram, 19-centimeter-tall crown -- which has recently been on exhibit at
the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco -- that may have been stolen during a
1956 heist at a temple in central Thailand.
The US Embassy in Bangkok has previously rejected visas for senior Thai
officials suspected of involvement in drug trafficking and other criminal
activities, but there is no record of individuals being barred for merely
taking part in anti-American protests.
