Pedophile rapes 14-year-old with wife’s help north of Phuket

PHUKET: A pedophile has confessed to raping a 14-year-old undocumented Myanmar migrant worker with the help of his wife in Khao Lak, north of Phuket, confirmed the Khuk Khak Police yesterday.

Police declined to name the man, who was the girl’s employer, until charges are pressed.

According to the girl’s statement, the man, “Mr A”, and his wife offered to take her to a market not far from the construction site where they work. On the way back, he raped her, Lt Palita Kangsing of the Khuk Khak Police told the Phuket Gazette yesterday.

“We returned from the market and Mr A’s wife went to the old building [nobody was there] to use the toilet while we waited near the building. A few minutes later, he asked me to follow his wife, but I refused, then he dragged me in the old building and tried to rape me,” the girl told police.

“His wife helped catch me, then he forcibly raped me. My face was injured while I tried to escape from them; I was raped by Mr A.”

Mr A’s wife then bought the 14-year-old a new mobile phone and offered to pay her 5,000 baht to not talk about what happened, said Lt Palita.

“The following day, the victim’s father suspected what had happened, as the girl was quiet, looked very upset and sick. The victim’s aunt comforted her and asked what happened. Finally, the victim revealed to her aunt how the couple abused her,” said a statement to the Gazette from the Foundation for Education and Development (FED) in Phang Nga.

The foundation, which was contacted by the family, has a goal of a providing a safe and productive environment for Burmese migrant workers in southern Thailand.

The girl wanted to proceed with a lawsuit against the offenders, so the aunt spoke with the girl’s father, and he discussed the incident with one of the migrant community leaders, said the statement.

The FED was then contacted for legal assistance.

“The Foundation’s staff contacted local police, who then went to the construction site to arrest the offender. The Thai police officer requested negotiations between the victim and offender. The offender agreed to pay 90,000 baht as compensation and to close the case,” said the statement.

The father agreed to the arrangement. However, the girl did not.

“I do not agree with my father’s decision and I would like to sue them because they made life very hard. It cannot be forgiven,” the girl told police.

On August 13, the father changed his mind in accordance with his daughter’s wishes, an FED staffer told the Gazette.

“Firstly, I didn’t want to sue them because they have two children and I didn’t want them to have a problem. Then I decided to go back to Burma [Myanmar]. My daughter wanted me to sue the couple and, at the same time, the incident would make a bad reputation for my family. Finally, I decided to go ahead with the lawsuit against both,” the victim’s father reportedly told the FED staffers.

The girl then went to hospital for a medical examination to confirm that she was raped. She also submitted the clothing she was wearing at the time to police, said Lt Palita.

“We are waiting for the results of the medical examination before pressing charges,” Lt Palita said.

“There were negotiations between the girl’s family and the man. However, this is a criminal case and it cannot be withdrawn.”

Mr A is expected to be charged for the rape of a minor under Section 279, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years imprisonment, a 30,000 baht fine, or both. Additionally, he could be charged for causing “grievous bodily harm to the victim”, which has a maximum penalty of 20 years imprisonment, a 40,000 baht fine, or both.

The girl is now under the care of her father and the FED.

— Chutharat Plerin