Published on January 13, 2006

The elusive woman behind the company that won the lucrative ground-services contract at Suvarnabhumi Airport has broken her silence while allegations of questionable dealings surround her company.

Rawadi Jantawit, who owns 50,000 shares in Singapore-based Frobisher Pte Co Ltd, this week granted Nation Weekender an exclusive interview about her life and business dealings.

The weekly newsmagazine’s January 16 issue hits news-stands today.

Most of the interview involves Rawadi’s other business, Maxima Master Co Ltd, the licensed producer of Maxima in-built furniture, of which she is managing director.

Rawadi flatly refused to discuss Frobisher and granted the interview on the condition the subject would not be broached.

Through its 48.5-per-cent share in Thai Airport Ground Services Co (TAGS), Frobisher will take charge of ground services at Bangkok’s new airport.

For its efforts TAGS will earn about Bt1 billion annually – thanks to a controversial concession that never went to public tender.

The Singapore firm is suspected of being linked with powerful Thai politicians.

Rawadi told Nation Weekender that she was born in Trang, the eldest of three siblings, and spent her childhood in Nakhon Si Thammarat. While in secondary school, she won a scholarship to become an exchange student in the United States under the American Field Service (AFS) programme.

After returning to Thailand, she enrolled in Ramkhamhaeng University’s Faculty of Humanities and graduated within three academic years.

She described herself as a lively and outgoing person, but said her parents didn’t often allow her to go out alone when she was young. “They didn’t allow me to join school outings and they often accompanied me to cinemas,” she said, adding however, that her parents always welcomed her friends at home.

The businesswoman said she would retire after she had achieved what she set out to do with Maxima.

“Then I’ll go travelling with my nieces and nephews,” she said, adding that she had no children of her own.

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