14 year old girl raped by two men in hotel in northern Thailand

A Thai man and his 14 year old daughter sought help from a Move Forward Party (MFP) member of Parliament after police failed to arrest and charge two men who allegedly raped the girl at a hotel in July in the Isaan province of Ubon Ratchathani.

The 40 year old father, Phanu, told MFP MP Wisarut Sawatworn that the sexual assault took place at a hotel in Ubon Ratchathani on July 25. A 20 year old Thai man named Bas lured his daughter, Nok, into meeting him. He later took Nok to the hotel.

On arrival at the hotel, Nok tried to escape and ran away but Bas caught her and took her to the hotel. Hotel staff witnessed the incident but did nothing to help or stop Bas.

Bas then reportedly raped Nok in the hotel. A male hotel employee later knocked on the door and told Bas to leave otherwise he would shoot him if he refused.

In a state of fear, Bas departed from the hotel, leaving Nok alone in the room. Subsequently, the hotel employee raped Nok twice and confined her in the hotel room overnight.

The following day, the same employee took Nok to his residence, where she faced another sexual assault. Despite being aware of the incident, the employee’s wife chose not to intervene or provide assistance to Nok. The rapist told his wife to send Nok to school the next day, and the teenage girl kept the incident to herself until August 15.

Sexual assault

The hotel employee appeared to be a relative of Nok’s grandmother and attended her funeral on August 15. The rapist harassed Nok at the temple, groped her breasts and buttocks. Fearing another assault, Nok told the whole story to her father.

Phanu said he filed a complaint against the two rapists at Mueang Ubon Ratchathani Police Station on August 16 but officers had yet to arrest or charge the suspects. Nok suffered from depression as a result of the incident and was living in fear because one of the rapists lived in the community.

MP Wisarut visited the police station yesterday, November 22, to check on the case. Police said they had already questioned the hotel worker but he denied the allegations and officers released him.

The investigating officer insisted that they were already looking into the case and that their work was not being delayed. They added that they would summon the hotel employee and file three charges against him.

• Section 310 of the Criminal Law: retraining or confining another person. The penalty will be imprisonment of up to three years, a fine of up to 60,000 baht, or both.
• Section 318 of the Criminal Law: taking away a person aged under 15 years old from parents or guardians. The penalty will be imprisonment from three to 15 years and a fine from 60,000 to 300,000 baht.
• Section 279 of the Criminal Law: committing indecent acts against a person aged under 15 years old. The penalty will be imprisonment of up to 10 years, a fine of up to 200,000 baht, or both.

The officer did not mention the questioning and investigation of the first rapist.