Burmese roti vendor arrested for series of sexual assaults in Pattaya
Suspect attempts to bribe police officer to secure his freedom
A Burmese roti vendor attempted to bribe police with 15,000 baht after he was arrested for a series of sexual assault cases in Pattaya yesterday, May 22.
Two teenage women filed a complaint at Mueang Pattaya Police Station on Wednesday, May 21, stating that the suspect approached them while they were on Pattaya Beach. He tricked them into getting on his motorcycle and took them to a dark area to sexually assault them.
The first victim revealed that the man invited her to his accommodation but instead took her to an abandoned bathroom and raped her. The rapist stole her belongings and abandoned her at the scene.
Another victim stated that she was taken to a dark alley but managed to escape rape with the help of a motorist who travelled past the scene.
The victims suspected the man to be a foreign national. One of the victims told police that the man could communicate in Thai, but his accent was unclear. The two victims filed a complaint at a similar time, leading police to anticipate that the suspect was the same person.
Police reviewed security cameras and found the suspect riding a red and black motorcycle from Pattaya to the Si Racha district of Chon Buri. Officers continued their investigation until tracking down the suspect, 27 year old Burmese national Thant Ngwe, at his accommodation.
Thant Ngwe lived in a rented room in the Si Racha area with his pregnant wife and made a living as a roti vendor. Police searched his room and found a stolen mobile phone and the belongings of the victims in his possession.
Thant Ngwe confessed that he approached three women, not two. He insisted that all of the women agreed to have sex with him. Thant Ngwe said his wife is pregnant, so he visited Pattaya Beach to search for prostitutes, and all of the victims agreed to offer sex services to him.
Channel 7 reported that Thant Ngwe was visibly stressed after being arrested. He offered police officers 15,000 baht and begged police to drop his legal punishment, but officers denied the bribe.
Police reported that they issued two charges against Thant Ngwe, including:
- Section 278 of the Criminal Law: sexually assaulting a victim aged above 15 by threatening or using violence. The penalty is imprisonment of up to 10 years, a fine of up to 200,000 baht, or both.
- Section 336 of the Criminal Law: stealing another person’s valuables by snatching. The offence carries a penalty of up to five years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to 100,000 baht.
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