Cops to seek warrants for ‘pack rape’

New probe launched over year-old case

Police are preparing to request arrest warrants for five more suspects in a rape case involving a 14-year-old girl in Phangnga.

Police say 40 men may have been involved in the case, which earlier went to court, resulting in three suspects being indicted last year.

More recently, the victim’s mother submitted a complaint with local police asking them to re-open the case after finding out there were 40 people involved in her daughter’s rape.

Deputy spokesman for the Royal Thai Police (RTP) said yesterday police are compiling evidence and interviewing eyewitnesses to back the warrant requests.

He said they would interrogate the three suspects already charged to find out if they can name other suspects. He did not say why the information failed to come to light the first time around.

The deputy national police spokesman, however, admitted it would be difficult to obtain key forensic evidence such as DNA and semen samples to take the probe much further.

The crimes took place last year in Ban Koh Raet in Takua Thung district.

As for the possibility of treating the rape case as a human trafficking case as well, Pol Col Krisana said the decision lies with investigators.

The Muslim for Peace Foundation has stepped in to help the victim and her family fight for justice. It says the victim was taken by some of the rapists to others, who forced her to take drugs before raping her themselves.

Chanont Abdullah, a representative of the foundation, said the victim told him some other children and youth were also sexually assaulted in the same way by the group.

He said the victim’s family is under pressure as some villagers have continued various forms of intimidation against them.

Villagers have trespassed on their premises, thrown rocks on the roof of their house and even confronted the victim’s mother in front of her home where she has been staying since lodging the new complaint on Sunday.

Some people are also inciting opposition to the family on social media, where action is being urged to put more pressure on the family to drop the case, said Mr Chanont.

Mr Chanont called on authorities to put the family and victim under a witness protection programme.

About 100 residents in the victim’s village gathered yesterday at a rally that claimed to be fighting for justice for their community as they felt the case has damaged the reputation of their village.

Pol Maj Gen Boonthawi Toraksa, chief of the Phangnga provincial police, said authorities had assured protesting villagers that the investigators will base their work on facts, not what has circulated on social media.

Samart Thirasak, chief public health officer of Phangnga, said when the rape case was uncovered last year, the victim was assessed by a mental health team and was found to have suffered from moderate depression.

“Her family is also under high stress, particularly the mother. A psychiatrist will be assigned to conduct an in-depth assessment of the mental state of the entire family once again,” said Dr Samart.