The Cambodian consul in Bangkok was offering legal assistance on Wednesday to a Cambodian national after his arrest in Thailand’s eastern Chonburi province for allegedly being involved in the gang-rape of an underage girl.
Chonburi provincial authorities on Tuesday arrested three Thais and a Cambodian after a 13-year-old girl accused the four of raping her multiple times and recording the ordeal in a bid to demand 3,000 baht ($100) from her family to keep the video offline, the Nation reported.
An 18-year-old Cambodian identified only as Lert and Natthapat Neewong, a 29-year-old Thai, were reportedly employed as rescue workers, the Nation said.
They “were unpopular in the neighbourhood because they drove at high speeds and used the siren unnecessarily”, the Nation reported.
The two other Thais arrested were aged 16 and 14. Their names were not released because they are minors.
“They have confessed to the crime and will be charged with several offences including the rape of a minor,” Chonburi police chief Nanthachat Supamongkol said.
“Police have not yet found the video allegedly used in the extortion attempt,” he said.
On July 2, the suspects abducted the girl and handcuffed her. They then took turns raping her. Each raped her several times. The suspects filmed the ordeal in a bid to blackmail the victim’s parents, the complaint states.
Locals demanded the suspects receive long jail terms.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation spokesperson Ket Sophann told The Post on Wednesday that the Cambodian consul in Bangkok had ordered legal assistance be offered to the Cambodian national.
“Our officials have yet to provide an in-depth report on this case. Our consulate officials based in Bangkok have instructed officers to obtain detailed information from the local authorities and offer legal assistance to the Cambodian arrested,” Sophann said.
According to Thai media on Tuesday, the four suspects were sent to Chonburi provincial court and charged with “the rape of a minor, the taking of pornographic pictures and extortion”.
