Thai man admits attempted rape of Chinese woman

Police arrested a Thai man for attempting to rape and murder a Chinese woman in Pattaya. The suspect confessed to the attempted rape charge but denied setting her on fire to kill her.

The 29 year old Chinese victim, Meilin, filed a complaint at Nong Prue Police Station on February 18 that a Thai motorcycle rider offered her a ride from Chon Buri to Pattaya but changed the route so he could rape her at a roadside forest along the Polo-Ban Bueng Road in Pattaya.

Meilin reported that the man’s attempt was unsuccessful, leading him to steal her money, 86,000 baht, and then set fire to the scene to kill her before absconding.

Upon reviewing CCTV footage along the road, the police identified a suspicious Thai man, 41 year old Thip Phasiri. Subsequently, officers apprehended Thip at his residence in the eastern province of Rayong and obtained a photograph of him for the identification process.

Upon being presented with a lineup of portraits, Meilin positively identified Thip as her assailant. Consequently, Thip was arrested and transported to the Nong Prue Police Station for interrogation.

During questioning, Thip admitted to attempting to assault Meilin but refuted any involvement in attempted murder, as alleged by the victim. He denied setting fire to the scene, as claimed by Meilin.

Thip claimed that he let the victim go after he failed to rape her and stole her money before fleeing.

Thip also confessed that he left the motorcycle used in the crime, a black Yamaha Finn, at a petrol station on Bang Na-Trat Road in Rayong province and showed remorse for his actions.

“I am sorry for what I did.”

Police have reason to suspect that Thip was involved in the theft from the caddies at Siam Country Club as they rode home on their motorcycles. Further investigation and questioning will be carried out regarding the case. Thip initially faces three charges including:

• Section 278 of the Criminal Law: committing an obscene act against someone over 15 years old, through intimidation, violence, or by exploiting their inability to resist. The penalty is imprisonment of up to 10 years, a fine of up to 200,000 baht, or both.
• Section 276 of the Criminal Law: sexually assaulting another person by threatening or using a violent act. The penalty is imprisonment from four to 20 years and a fine from 80,000 to 400,000 baht.
• Section 340 of the Criminal Law: committing theft by assaulting the victim and using a vehicle to facilitate the crime. The penalty is a minimum of five to ten years imprisonment and a fine of at least 100,000 to 200,000 baht.

ORIGINAL STORY: Chinese woman escapes attempted rape and murder in Pattaya

A Chinese woman is seeking justice after she managed to escape from a Thai man who tried to rape and kill her near a roadside forest beside Siam Country Club in Pattaya. Police are currently searching for the suspect.

The Chinese victim, 29 year old Meilin, and her younger brother, 19 year old Chen, called officers from the Nong Prue Police Station to the forest along the Polo-Ban Bueng Road in Pattaya at 10.30pm yesterday, February 18. Officers found that some of the forest was burned at a radius of about 70 to 80 metres.

Police reported that Meilin appeared frightened and initially provided confused information to the police. After calming down, she recounted the incident with the help of an interpreter. According to Meilin, she and her brother wanted to go to Walking Street in Pattaya and were waiting for public transport on Sattahip-Nakhon Ratchasima Road, about 10 kilometres away from the attempted rape scene.

Then, two Thai men rode past them on motorcycles and offered them a ride. Meilin said she and her brother agreed to go with Thai men and got on separate motorcycles. Unfortunately, the Thai motorcycle rider took Meilin on a different route.

The Thai man stopped in a remote area, forced Meilin off the motorcycle, and tied her arms. Police noted signs of her wrists being tied. He attempted to rape her but was unsuccessful. Frustrated, the man then applied lotion to Meilin’s body to remove his fingerprints, set fire to the scene and left her to die in the middle of the fire.

The suspect also stole her money before fleeing. The total loss was about 86,000 baht including 15,000 yuan in cash, (76,000 baht), and 10,000 baht in cash.

Meilin said she burned the rope at her wrist and managed to escape from the fire. She contacted her brother and later reported the matter to the police.

Suspect at large

Police officer Jeerasak Abfaeng reported that officers found the woman suspicious because no other struggle signs were shown, except the injuries on her wrists. Her clothes also looked clean just like nothing had happened to her.

Meilin showed a video to the police, recorded while on the suspect’s motorcycle, expressing her need for help and concern about her diverted route.

In the video, the suspect wore a helmet, a dark blue long-sleeve jacket, and motorcycle gloves. He carried a backpack in the front and used a black Honda Wave 125. The motorcycle was seen riding on Huay Yai Road toward Sukhumvit Road.

Meilin’s video also showed that her brother was on another motorcycle ahead of her before the Thai man changed the direction.

Further investigation revealed Meilin’s belongings, including burned trousers, a passport, and a hotel key card, 10 meters away from the scene. Meilin explained that she ran to that spot, and changed her clothes while waiting for her brother.

The evidence provided credibility to Meilin’s complaint. Police reviewed security cameras in the area and nearby to identify the suspect. They managed to identify the motorcycle rider who took Meilin’s brother to Pattaya, a 40 year old man named Mai. Police did not find anything suspicious with his statement and later let Mai go.

Officers reported that they also knew the identity of the suspect and would summon the man for questioning soon.