This week’s survey saw Thailand emerge as one of the world’s most dangerous countries based primarily on violence meted out to women by intimate partners and the prevailing attitude in the kingdom towards such behaviour and the country’s acceptance of such abuse which was measured. Thailand came in at Number 10 in the ‘Women’s Danger Index’ of 50 countries. The survey showed that Thailand had the largest percentage of women who accepted that women could be abused justifiably in an intimate relationship.
Thai police on Friday morning arrested a 59-year-old Thai man following the tragic and squalid murder of a 44-year-old prostitute in the centre of the city.
Police in the Phra Nakhon district of the centre of Bangkok responded on Friday morning after a woman’s prostrate body was found on the street footpath near an intersection on the Bunsiri Road near the Bunsiri Hotel which is very popular with tourists visiting Bangkok.
Police Lieutenant Lertchai Phueelongchai, the Deputy head of Investigation at Samranrat Police Station, led the police on the scene.
Fatally injured woman found in front of a shophouse
The woman was found at the front of a shophouse.
Police have not revealed her official identity except to indicate that she was from Samut Prakan province and was 44 years of age.
It is understood she was a prostitute catering to local Thai men in that part of Bangkok.
10 cm cut to her neck and had lost a lot of blood
The woman was found barely alive at the scene suffering from a 10cm cut to the neck.
Rescue services attempted to give the woman immediate first aid and resuscitate her but she quickly faded as she had lost too much blood from the fatal injury she had received.
It is reported that one of her large veins had been severed by the knife of her attacker.
Attacker quickly identified, said he acted out of anger
Police quickly identified the identity of the woman’s attacker after reports of a man taking flight from the scene emerged.
He was identified as 59-year-old Hom Chinaya, a security guard at an apartment complex on Sukhumvit Soi 39.
The Thai man was arrested and questioned by police. He quickly admitted to the crime and explained that he had acted out of anger.
Met the woman 6 months ago – she was a prostitute catering to local men in Bangkok’s old quarter
He told investigating police officers that approximately 6 months previously, he had kept some hs salary to pick up a lady of the night in the area which is known to cater to the local demand for prostitution. He agreed on a fee of ฿1,000 with the victim and had sexual relations with her.
Suggested that the woman should join him as his wife
According to Mr Hom, the pair got on quite well.
He told police that thereafter he had repeatedly suggested to the woman that they should get together as a real couple but she had declined.
However, one week ago she agreed to his proposal but requested a dowry of 1 baht of gold worth approximately ฿22,600.
For this, the woman promised to share her lot with him and live together as man and wife.
Agreed to pay a dowry of ฿11,300
Mr Hom told police that this was impossible for him because of his low salary but he did manage to bargain her down to a half baht of gold of ฿11,300.
Mr Hom explained to police that after paying the 44-year-old woman the money that she immediately reneged on their agreement and would not even acquiesce to meet with him on another occasion to have sex.
Confronted the woman over her betrayal
This made Mr Hom indignant and he confronted the woman.
She then explained to him that he should pay a further ฿3,000 in addition to the original dowry and she would come and live with him as planned.
However, Mr Hom detected that the woman was uneasy and simply trying to deceive him.
Later, the Thai man watched as the woman took on three further customers until he finally lost control of his anger and murdered her.
Forensic probe, man charged with intentional murder
Police are conducting a detailed forensic examination on the body of the woman and plan to charge Mr Hom with intentionally murdering the woman.
Thailand among the 10 most dangerous countries for women, the problem is an acceptance of abuse
This week Thailand appeared in the top ten countries listed in a survey as the most dangerous to single women travellers. The list was topped by South Africa and Brazil.
The safest country of 50 surveyed was Spain, followed by Singapore and Ireland.
Violence from intimate partners is the problem
However, Thailand fared well enough when it comes to the safety of women at night and from third parties.
There were eight different factors to the overall score. What sunk the kingdom in the survey was it topped the list in a survey of violence between intimate partners and the attitude towards violence against women in Thailand where it emerged as the most regressive country.
Survey compiled by travel bloggers
The index was compiled by travel bloggers Asher and Lyric Fergusson who analysed 8 critical factors in the 50 countries surveyed.
These included safety walking alone at night, intentional homicide of women, non-partner sexual violence, intimate partner sexual violence, legal discrimination, global gender gap, gendered inequality and attitudes toward violence towards women.
The survey showed that Thailand, out of all the countries surveyed, had the largest percentage of women who condoned violence towards other women involved in an intimate relationship.
Further reading:
Child prostitution gang that ran a sex racket that terrorised children smashed by armed police
Calls to legalise prostitution in Thailand after Pattaya sex raid on Walking Street this week
Police raid on prostitution bar in Udon Thani linked with serving policeman and his Thai wife
