CONTRIBUTOR BROUGHT THAI EXECUTIVE TO WHITE HOUSE.

Byline: Stephen Labaton The New York Times

A large contributor of questionable donations to the Democratic Party brought one of Asia's wealthiest business executives to meet with President Clinton last summer at a White House kaffeeklatsch that was sponsored by the Democratic National Committee, administration officials said Thursday.

The contributor who arranged the meeting, Pauline Kanchanalak, is a central figure in investigations into allegations of improper fund raising by the Democrats and was a frequent visitor to the White House, seeing Clinton at least 10 times, according to security records disclosed Thursday.

The disclosure raises new questions about whether large donors were, in effect, buying access to President Clinton for other people who could neither vote nor contribute money to the campaign.

The White House disclosed last week that Charles Yah Lin Trie, a major donor and fund-raiser under investigation, had arranged for a Chinese weapons dealer to meet with Clinton at a Democratic Party event at the White House.

Five weeks ago, the Democratic committee announced that it would return $253,500 in donations that were improper because they were listed in Kanchanalak's name but, the committee determined, might have actually been supplied by a relative.

Kanchanalak, a citizen of Thailand, arranged the White House meeting for executives from the Charoen Pokaphand Group, a Thailand-based conglomerate that is one of Asia's largest and most successful business empires. In some two dozen countries, the group controls more than 250 companies that produce everything from chickens and shrimp to petrochemicals, motorcycles and telecommunications equipment.

Barely known in the United States, the group is believed to be the largest foreign investor in China. A recent article in The Financial Times estimated that Dhanin Chearavanont, the chairman of the C.P. Group, as the conglomerate is known, is the 12th richest man in Asia.

Dhanin, joined by two other company executives, appeared with Kanchanalak at the meeting June 18. The White House would not say what was discussed at the meeting, which was attended by five other guests, as well as by Clinton and three Democratic committee officials - national Chairman Donald Fowler, finance Chairman Marvin Rosen and finance Vice Chairman John Huang.

White House officials Thursday defended this and other visits by Kanchanalak.

``It is not uncommon in this or in previous administrations for supporters and interested parties to attend briefings and other events at the White House to meet with the president and others,'' said Lanny J. Davis, a special White House counsel.

Davis said that although it was not surprising that some visitors might have contributed to the Democratic Party or to the president's re-election campaign, ``no governmental action resulted from any campaign contribution.''

Still, officials at the Democratic committee and the White House have acknowledged that they were lax in monitoring both the source of contributions and the people they were recommending as guests to the White House.

Internal documents disclosed recently by the Democratic committee suggest that the meeting with the C.P. Group executives was part of a fund-raising effort organized by the Democratic committee. But White House officials emphasized Thursday that no money actually changed hands at the White House, something that would be unlawful.

For the last few years, Kanchanalak has worked in Washington for another large Thai conglomerate, the Ban Chang Group. White House security records show that since 1993, she has visited the White House 26 to 33 times, attending a variety of dinners and kaffeeklatsches sponsored by the Democratic committee as well as meetings with officials from the National Security Council.

The records also show that she had met with Vice President Al Gore at least twice. At least once, she was part of a delegation that went to the White House with the deputy prime minister of Thailand. During her visits, Kanchanalak alternated between using her married name and her maiden name, Pornpimol Parichattkul.

Most of the money from Kanchanalak was solicited by Huang, who, before joining the Democratic committee, had been a trade official at the Commerce Department. So far, some $1.2 million of the $3.4 million raised by Huang has been returned after the committee found that the donations were inappropriate.

The relationship between Kanchanalak and Huang has become a focus of federal prosecutors and congressional investigators who have begun to examine the fund-raising efforts by the Democrats.

While at the Commerce Department, Huang recommended that Clinton take part in a ceremony for the establishment of a U.S.-Thai business council. Both Clinton and the prime minister of Thailand dropped in on the inauguration of the council at an Oct. 6, 1994, meeting at the White House.

Kanchanalak, who met with officials at the White House to discuss the business council, was in contact with Huang at the time, according to records at the Commerce Department. Among her donations was one for $32,500 to the Democratic committee on Oct. 20, 1994.

Kanchanalak did not respond to telephone messages Thursday seeking comment.