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Did Thai idol Sitala leave H1-Key due to father's anti-democratic acts?

Despite Sitala apologizing for being insensitive about Thailand's political situation, a majority of fans had been upset with her

It seems that rookie girl group H1-Key is about to face a lineup change just months after their debut. On May 25, their label, Grandline Group announced that Thai-born member Sitala would be leaving H1-Key. This decision follows Thai fans' uproar after they found out that the idol’s father had been an important political figure and had been involved in anti-democratic acts in Thailand. 

Thailand’s political situation has been tricky ever since the Royal Thai Armed Force launched a military coup and took over the government in 2014. We have a majority of the general public protesting daily for the end of military rule. However, there are some citizens who are part of the Royalists or Elitists who favor the current rule. Thai K-pop fans unearthed claims that Sitala’s late father was an Elitist and had participated in anti-democratic campaigns.

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Sitala’s father involved in anti-democratic acts

While international H1-Key fans tried to defend Sitala, Thai fans claimed that even Sitala had supported her father’s position on Thailand’s military rule and that she was old enough to understand that her father was in the wrong. Grandline had released a statement apologizing for hurting Thai fans and confirmed that Sitala’s father’s actions were indeed true. However, due to the complexity of the situation, they felt that fans should blame Sitala who was a minor at that time.

Sitala leaves H1-Key

Sitala too had released a statement apologizing for hurting Thai fans and shared that her late father had been a role model due to his art career and that she would be reflecting on herself while learning about “Thailand’s political climate.” This divided the fandom between those who accepted her apology and those who felt that it was unfair for her to pursue her dreams while she had hurt the people of Thailand with her past actions.

It seems that the situation might have affected Sitala even now. On May 25, while Grandline did not disclose the reason for Sitala’s departure, they shared that the Thai idol would be leaving the group for personal reasons. The label explained that they had discussed the matter with H1-Key and Sitala and after a thorough review had accepted her decision to leave. H1-Key will promote as a three-member group.

'Good riddance'

Some fans were sad as they made tweets like, "Nooooo 😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢I will be ot4 for ever." Another commented, "Thanks for your hard work Sitala. Wishing you the best. Seoi, Riina, and Yel I hope you will continue to be strong. H1-KEY fighting!" One added, "There. Happy? Y'all hounded out another idol for something she can't control." However, some fans were glad she left, "BRUH SITALA REALLY PULLED HER 'YEAH. I'M OUT' CARD Good riddance. Manifesting better streams for #H1KEY even without Sitala!"

A Thai fan added, "#Sitala Welcome home to the hell your father created. #H1KEY I told you that you will regret not listening to our voices that day." One Thai fan explained why they were cheering despite Sitala apologizing, "It could be seen as a matter of resentment. And it is normal for people to feel satisfied. It's satisfying to see the people who are part of the woes we've experienced see a downfall. But the word "normal" doesn't mean that it's correct. I'll just say that it is encouraging."

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