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AP - Thai-Australian model Angela McKay, 21, last week gave up her title of Miss Thailand World, citing a contractual commitment to a modelling agency, but Thai newspapers, continue to seek out a scandal behind her actions.

McKay, after holding the beauty crown for ten days, gave a news conference last week to announce that she was stepping down.

Raised in Western Australia, with an Australian father and a Thai mother, she said her relatively weak Thai-language ability made her unaware that winning the pageant would commit her to staying in Thailand for a year.

She said she realised only after her victory that she would be unable to fulfil a commitment to a New York modelling agency, so decided to give up her title for career reasons.



Despite her explanation, rumours were rife - circulating especially on popular web boards on the internet - that she was stepping down because potentially scandalous nude photos of her existed.

Her parents told Australian newspapers that they were aware only of some swimsuit-type shots that were "tastefully taken."

However, on Saturday, a Thai tabloid newspaper, Bangkok Today, published four nude photos they claimed were of McKay, and a bigger mass market daily, Thai Post, reprinted one of them on Monday.

McKay could not be located for comment.

Although Thailand has a huge sex industry, public attitudes toward nudity remain fairly conservative, reflecting society's Buddhist roots.