Thai father surrenders after abducting and assaulting 7 year old son
A Thai man surrendered at Krathumbaen Police Station in Samut Prakarn province near Bangkok after physically assaulting and abducting his seven year old son.
The boy’s mother, a 34 year old Thai woman, sought help from a social media influencer, Guntouch “Gun” Phongpaiboonwet, and Krathumbaen Police Station officers yesterday, May 15.
She explained that her ex-husband, 33 year old Naweesak Saetao, assaulted their son, Bell, and threatened to kill him before kidnapping him.
Naweesak reportedly choked, beat, and pointed a knife at Bell during a video call with the boy’s mother. The woman added that Naweesak previously abused Bell by forcing him to drink bathroom cleaning liquid.
The woman disclosed that Bell had been living with his father since their separation four months ago. She suspected that the man was endangering their son in a bid to reconcile with her.
Police examined security cameras near Naweesak’s residence in Samut Prakarn and along the adjacent roads. They discovered footage showing the man taking his son on a motorcycle and heading towards a neighbouring province.
Aggressive behaviour
Naweeksak eventually turned himself in at the police station at about 7.30pm last night and allowed Ministry of Social Development and Human Security (M-Society) officers to take care of the boy.
Naweesak claimed he did not intend to abduct his son but wanted to take him to his family home for his siblings to care for him. He was unaware that his ex-wife was searching for their son until he saw the news, prompting him to bring the boy to the police station.
Naweesak admitted to the physical assault, claiming it stemmed from anger towards his ex-wife for ignoring his request to prepare documents for their son’s school application.
He also confessed to forcing the boy to drink bathroom cleaning liquid but claimed this incident occurred three years ago and was unrelated to the recent assault.
Naweesak further confessed that drug use contributed to his aggressive behaviour, prompting police to conduct a drug test, which came back positive. The type of drug remains undisclosed.
Naweesak was initially charged with using violence or threats to force someone to do or not do something, which carries a penalty of up to three years imprisonment, a fine of up to 60,000 baht, or both.
He also violated the Domestic Violence Act and the Child Protection Act but details on those charges are not yet available. The legal consequences of his drug use are also unclear.
Bell is currently under the care of the M-Society and will eventually live with his mother once his mental health is deemed stable.
