Thai minibus driver rapes passenger after tricking her into lucky ritual
A Thai minibus driver raped a female passenger after tricking her into performing a ritual for good fortune, and then abducting her to a hotel in Pattaya.
The victim filed a complaint against the minibus driver, Mueang, at Na Jomtien Police Station following the sexual assault on October 10. The incident occurred while the victim was travelling in Mueang’s minibus from the Isaan province of Sisaket to the Rama II area of Bangkok.
The victim explained that Mueang informed her that she would be his last passenger, as he had to take others to Chon Buri first. There were eight passengers, including the victim, on that day. Mueang gradually took each passenger to their destination, leaving only the victim, as he said he would.
Instead of travelling directly to Rama II, Mueang suggested that the victim perform a ritual for good fortune and offered to take her to a well-known place where the ritual could be performed.
Mueang then took the victim to Chakngewaw Market in the Bang Lamung district of Pattaya to buy flowers as offerings. He then went to a hotel in the area instead of the sacred place he promised.
Mueang raped the victim at the hotel and then continued the journey to take her to Rama II. Frightened, the victim asked to be dropped off mid-journey at a petrol station and went to the police station after Mueang left.
Police arrested Mueang yesterday, December 12, at a cassava farm in the Nam Kliang district in Sisaket province. Officers did not reveal whether Mueang admitted to the crime.
The details of the legal charges brought against Mueang were not revealed, but he is expected to be charged under Section 276 of the Criminal Law: sexual assault. The penalty is imprisonment from four to 20 years and a fine from 80,000 to 400,000 baht.
In a related story, a 13 year old Thai girl accused a minivan driver in the Isaan province of Khon Kaen of raping her in the vehicle. The accused driver continued to deny the accusation and maintained his innocence until the girl eventually confessed to fabricating the entire story of sexual assault.
