Burmese Beauty Queen Runs Off With The Crown

A disgraced beauty queen who was stripped of her title for allegedly being rude and dishonest has run off with the highly valued crown. Burmese beauty May Myat Noe was crowned Miss Asia Pacific World in May at a competition in the South Korean capital of Seoul.

But the 18-year-old was described as a disappointment from the start.

After her win, the contest organisers arranged singing and video deals for her, but they also wanted to make a few changes to the 5'7" teenager's looks.

David Kim, director of media for the pageant said: "We thought she should be more beautiful ... so as soon as she arrived we sent her to the hospital to operate on her breasts.

"It's our responsibility," he said, adding that sponsors picked up the $10,000 (£6,000) tab, as they have for past winners.

"If she has no good nose, then maybe, if she likes, we can operate on her nose. If it's breasts, then breasts."

Mr Kim said it was then that the troubles started.

The beauty queen brought her mother with her to Seoul for what was supposed to be a 10-day visit, but that quickly turned into three months, with costs rising all the time.

She "lied" and "never had respect for the main organisation, the national director, the manager, media or fans who made her the winner," contest organisers said.

As a result, the beauty queen was told she would have to give up her title and the crown.

She was given a plane ticket back to Yangon, but never showed up, with local magazine Eleven Media reporting she had taken an earlier flight.

The bejewelled Swarovski tiara - valued anywhere between $100,000 (£60,000) and $200,000 (£120,000) - has also disappeared.

"Everyone knows she is no longer the queen, but she thinks as long as she keeps this crown she's the winner," said Mr Kim. "She's not."

Burma, which only recently emerged from a half-century military rule and self-imposed isolation, is likely to be disappointed about the adverse publicity - it only resumed sending contestants to international beauty pageants in 2012 after decades of keeping out of the limelight.