23 year old Thai man came upon the drunken 21 year old UK woman at 3 am sleeping on the ground. Using a cutting knife, he cut her bikini and attempted to remove her shorts before sexually assaulting her. When the woman became conscious to the activity, her attacker asked for sex.
An ungallant Irish man left a UK woman alone to sleep on the ground after the couple had become very intoxicated on Thailand’s beautiful Ko Phi Phi island during a night out. Both of them could not find their way back to their hotel when the bars closed at 1 am. This Thursday, Thai police announced the arrest of a 23 year old Thai man and boat assistant who subsequently sexually assaulted the woman using a cutting knife to cut her bikini. The man has been charged with sexual assault with violence and is being in held in custody while local Thai police finalise their investigation. The Commissioner General of The Thai police has ordered that case be expedited and given top priority while apologizing to the UK woman for her traumatic ordeal.
A UK woman out drinking on the island of Koh Phi Phi was sexually assaulted in the early hours of Monday morning by a local Thai man. The victim of the assault was a 21 year old women whose name Thai police are withholding.
23 year old Thai man arrested by Thai police on Wednesday after they tracked him down
Thai police have already apprehended the attacker after identifying him from CCTV footage and other enquiries. After arresting the 23 year old and interrogating him, they have charged him with violent sexual assault. He is believed to be working on the island as an assistant with one of the many speed boat operators who provide regular tours to visitors. A spokesman for the Thai police, Colonel Krissana Pattanacharoe, has named the man as Trairat Changsanan. The Thai man was apprehended by Thai police on Wednesday after the UK woman filed formal complaint on Monday morning at 10 am at the local police station. The arrest was announced on Thursday.
Ko Phi Phi is a magnet for western tourists
Koh Phi Phi is a must see destination for many western back packers or young tourists in Thailand. Famous as the location of the cult movie, The Beach, starring Leonardo di Caprio, the resultant tourism boom has had repercussions with Thai authorities recently having to close the famous Maya Bay where the movie was shot.
Huge tourist boom on the main island has changed its population mix and lifestyle
The area consists of a group of islands between the large island of Phuket and the Thai coast adjoining the Straits of Malacca. The largest island is Koh Phi Phi Don. This island became home to fishermen in the latter half of the 1940s, most of whom were fishermen and Muslim. Today, 80% of the local inhabitants of the island are Muslim. However, with the tourism boom and more commercial activities, there is now a larger Buddhist population living on Ko Phi Phi. The islands are part of Krabi province and today enjoy a year round tourist trade. This has dramatically changed the island from its quiet beginnings as a fishing community.
UK woman arrived on Friday, traveling alone. Went drinking on Sunday with an Irish man
The UK woman had arrived on the island of Koh Phi Phi alone on Friday last April 12th. She was travelling alone. She is reported to have been staying at a hotel on Loh Dalum beach. On Sunday night, the 14th April last, she went out for drinks reportedly with an Irish man she had met on the island.
Victim’s memory of the sex attack was incoherent as she was extremely intoxicated
The victim of the assault found it difficult to describe the man who attacked her on Monday morning when she filed her complaint at the nearby police station. She explained that she had consumed a lot of alcohol and was drunk when the incident occurred. It appears that at 1 am, as the bars closed, the UK woman and the Irish man accompanying her, began to walk back to their respective hotels. Both were quite intoxicated.
Irish man leaves UK alone after the pair became so drunk, they fell asleep on the ground
The couple were passing a guest house on the the local beach called the ‘Phi Phi Green House’ where they found chairs and tables in its outside restaurant area. The Irish man and the UK woman were so drunk that they proceeding to sleep on the ground outside the guest house. It appears that the ungallant Irish man subsequently returned to his hotel after waking up, leaving the UK woman alone and prey to her attacker.
Thai police found UK woman’s story matched what their investigation discovered
Despite the UK woman finding it difficult to recall what happened, she did provide her fuzzy recollection of events to the police for investigation with as much detail as possible. It is understood that her account of the incident matches what the Royal Thai police subsequently discovered in relation to the attack.
Thai man used a knife cutter to cut off the woman’s bikini and was trying to cut her shorts
It appears that the Thai man, 23 year old Trairat Changsanan, arrived on the scene where the UK woman was sleeping at 3 am. The Thai man has already confessed to his actions and admitted that he sexually assaulted the woman but denies that he raped her. It appears that the Thai man used a cutter knife to cut off the woman’s bikini clothing and also attempted to cut off the shirt pants she was wearing. The man then commenced his sexual assault of the woman.
The activity roused the woman from her slumber. At that point, Trairat Changsanan propositioned the shocked woman for sex but she pushed him away and screamed for help. The suspect made his escape from the scene.
Police identified the 23 year old from CCTV footage
Thai police subsequently investigated the UK woman’s claims. They were able to identify the 23 year old Thai man from CCTV footage in the area. The police also took the UK woman to a local medical professional to check for any tell tale signs of physical abuse.
Thai police chief apologises to the UK woman and offers therapy to help her overcome her ordeal
The Commissioner General of the Royal Thai Police has issued an apology to the UK woman for her ordeal on the beautiful island and has given orders that mental support be made available if the woman should require therapy after her traumatic ordeal. He has instructed that the investigation into the crime be completed as soon as possible in order to expedite legal proceedings. The suspect is being held in custody and is already facing charges.
