Suspect in Hmong rape case caught

An ex-village head who allegedly raped a 22-year-old ethnic Hmong woman and blackmailed her has been arrested in Tak following the victim’s death on Wednesday night.

News of the suspect’s arrest was broken to the family by lawyer Atchariya Ruangrattanapong, who leads a group set up to help victims of criminal cases. A relative said he was “very glad” to hear the update.

“We want to thank all officers for their efforts in this case,” Charat Chanoknatthawadi said.

The Lampang Provincial Court had granted police an arrest warrant on Thursday, one day after the woman was pronounced dead at Lampang Hospital where she was being treated after ingesting insecticide following a suicide attempt.

The suspect, identified as Noppadol Nawa-ariya, was earlier believed to have fled to a province in the Northeast, but a team of investigators found him in Tak, which is adjacent to Lampang.

Mr Noppadol, of Hmong ancestry and a former village head in Tak’s Phop Phra district, is accused of raping the victim on July 14.

He later allegedly sent pictures and video clips of her being raped to a Line group chat of “ethnic minority members” as well as to the woman’s family.

As a result, the distraught victim tried to take her own life on July 17. In a suicide note, she apologised to her parents for causing them embarrassment, according to Mr Atchariya and the victim’s twin sister who revealed the contents of the letter.

The victim was the wife of a member of the Mien tribe, another ethnic minority, according to investigators.

“Traditionally, her funeral must be held in the home province of her husband,” Mr Charat said. The man is a resident in Lampang’s Ngao district.

Mr Charat said he also would like police to bring Mr Noppadol to the funeral rite to apologise to his niece’s body.

According to Hmong belief, the apology is aimed to “help clear [hostility] in this life”, he said.

However, it depends on whether police will allow it, as his appearance could provoke a revenge attack, Mr Charat said. The family plans to hold the cremation today.