FB page editors face arrest over Tao rape story

By Suwannee Banthitsak 
The Nation

 

 

A court in Surat Thani province on Friday issued arrest warrants for administrators of two popular Facebook pages for reporting what the police decided was false information concerning a rape claim by a British teenager.

 

The information reported by Samui Times and CSI LA pages had tarnished Thailand’s reputation, according to the authorities.

 

 

The arrest warrants were issued after police concluded that the allegations by the 19-year-old Londoner, that she was drugged, robbed and raped during her vacation on Koh Tao in June, were groundless.

 

 

Police ended their investigation into the claim, closing a case set up after the woman’s mother alerted the UK police about the alleged rape.

Thai police visited the island that was the scene of brutal killings of two British backpackers in 2014 to gather evidence about the rape claim.

 

The police said they had concluded that the evidence and accounts from witnesses led them to believe the claim was false.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30353473

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-09-01

Police confirm no rape case on Koh Tao as claimed by alleged British victim

 

 

Police claimed today to have wrapped up their investigation into the alleged rape case on Koh Tao island in Surat Thani involving a British backpacker with a conclusion that there was no evidence to substantiate the allegation. 

Samui provincial court, meanwhile, approved issued warrants for the arrest of two Britons, the administrator and owner of on-line website Samui Time for allegedly posting false information about the alleged incident.  Police claimed it undermineed tourism business on the popular Koh Tao island.

Surat Thani provincial police commander Pol Maj-Gen Apichart Boonsrirote told a press conference that police have not found any evidence to prove that the alleged victim was raped on the night of June 25 as claimed after having questioned more than 200 witnesses who saw the British tourist or who were around the scene where she alleged to be raped.  He said police have also checked footage from close-circuit TV cameras in the area.

 

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/police-confirm-no-rape-case-on-koh-tao-as-claimed-by-alleged-british-victim/

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2018-09-01

"...A court in Surat Thani province on Friday issued arrest warrants for administrators of two popular Facebook pages for reporting what the police decided was false information concerning a rape claim by a British teenager..."

 

Empty bluster, nothing more.

 

The Administrator for the Samui Times is in either Singapore or the UK, and the Administrator of the Facebook page is in the US.

 

The Samui Times website is in Singapore, the Facebook page is in California, USA.

 

"Publishing false information", Thai-style law, is not a crime in either place.

 

There is NO chance whatsoever that either will face Thai "justice". None. Zip. Nil. Nada. Not gonna happen. No way, Jose. 

 

Sometimes it is better to simply 'shut the hell up'; by continuing to bleat and blather, you are making your own situation worse.

 

 

 

Utterly pathetic. No real investigation, although why would there be when the aim was clearly to protect an image that doesn't really exist (that Koh Tao is a safe and well policed tourist spot).

 

All we see here is a half baked bunch of theories thrown together in a way that is designed to discredit an alleged rape victim.

It's very disturbing that it appears victim shaming was the aim from the get-go.

The girl's story did have some quite peculiar parts to it, but as she has yet to personally clarify any of it, it's simply reprehensible for the cops here to dismiss out of hand, and go after people who are reporting on it from countries with strong freedom of speech protections.

 

Farcical.

Maybe it would be better if perpetrators of crime were arrested, rather than those who embarrass the country by reporting it.

13 minutes ago, z42 said:

Utterly pathetic. No real investigation,

 

Could you please outline your course of investigation given this has been over a month ago. How would you collect evidence and execute a proper investigation?  Thanks in advance.

so do they think a Thai guy is going to be shouting from the rooftops *it was me me me * nah !! think not,and we all know about their pathetic investigations, when most farang murders are put down as suicides, just too <deleted> lazy to do any king of proper police work

I looked at these topics for a good 5mins trying to think of something sensible to say to a very non-sensible action and I still remain speechless at this spectacle.

 

How can the police prove anything either way without CCTV - witnesses - the victim (who could possibly identify the alleged rapist), right now it is impossible to conclude either way, very hard to understand the logic of going after people who simply reported an alleged crime.

1 hour ago, darksidedog said:

Maybe it would be better if perpetrators of crime were arrested, rather than those who embarrass the country by reporting it.

Where is the proof of the crime?

1 hour ago, huberthammer said:

Could you please outline your course of investigation given this has been over a month ago. How would you collect evidence and execute a proper investigation?  Thanks in advance.

There's no reason for him to do so. If you read all the articles then you could read that Big Joke already after one day came to that conclusion, that must be nonsens a good investigation takes more time. Hearing 200 persons??? in 1 day and then also watch all the video's in the surroundings??  Yes everything in one day yes for sure a thorough and proper investigation. Big Joke!

I had to laugh. In one of the other threads about this I'd said "who in their right mind would be an investigative journalist in Thailand with corrupt Police, Mafia and defamation laws"

Quick as anything I was corrected by one of the more virtuous who responded robustly "The Samui Times"

...I think I rest my case

1 hour ago, rooster59 said:

FB page editors face arrest over Tao rape story

Why not just arrest the Facebook Company and it's proprietors and be done with it. That would fix all the junta's and Koh Tao's negative publicity problems. 

The Big Jokester could fly off to California to enlist the help of Interpol. After which he would return home for a mega media announcement with a 10 metre heavy duty vinyl banner showing photos of all the Directors he intends putting behind bars in Thailand.

Don't think I'm joking; this idiot mob have done similar stupid things before. Remember the naughty monk hiding in Germany and Thaksin and Yingluck.

 

ring ring...

 

"LAPD, how may I help you?"

"This is Thailand calling, we need you to arrest a journalist for writing a story that supported a woman's claim that she was raped."

"Listen you moron, get off the phone and sober up, and don't call here again."  

3 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

Where is the proof of the crime?

Thats what the police are employed to do

Well the CSI LA Facebook thing seems far-fetched but with the SamuiTimes they could block the website in Thailand which I guess would not make their local Koh Samui advertisers too happy.

The police should have been on alert from the first moment of the reporting, either theft or rape or both. The report of the rape not accepted in the first place, the CCTV not seized in due time, crime scene not cordoned off immediately, thus the victim, with the DNA of the culprit on a shirt, went back to England terrified. Now the RTP looks like a drowned rat with no evidence whatsoever. Other employees would have been fired for not doing the work they are paid for, but the RTP???

 

No wonder, that they cannot find evidence, when they do not the job in the first place. Going after the media, come on, that is low down.

1 hour ago, JLCrab said:

Well the CSI LA Facebook thing seems far-fetched but with the SamuiTimes they could block the website in Thailand which I guess would not make their local Koh Samui advertisers too happy.

Therefore we have Opera and Tor browsers.

9 minutes ago, fxe1200 said:

Therefore we have Opera and Tor browsers.

True, but I guess it would be ill-advised and probably illegal for local businesses to advertise on a banned website, so the Samui Times would take a hit, apart from the fact that having to access through, say, Tor would narrow the readership base considerably. 

22 minutes ago, fxe1200 said:

Therefore we have Opera and Tor browsers.

YOU may have Opera and Tor browsers and VPN but the average guy looking to go out for dinner or have his pool cleaned on Samui likely doesn't and the advertisers might not want to pay to reach only those in the former category.

I was an Investigator long-long ago; however, if a woman/or man for that matter reported that they had been raped in Thailand, I would suggest underpants or appropriate undergarment be placed in a sealed plastic bag and presented to RELIABLE POLICE, in this highly debated case, the British Police. If male sperm is found, there's a good chance she/he had been involved in sexual intercourse. No, it would not prove rape or identify the rapist but it would lend some credence to, in this case, the young lady's claim. Black hair, brown eyes, brown skin are not helpful ID data to track down potential culprit. Sand in sensitive areas might help in identifying location of crime.

 

One must note some inconsistencies.

 

Rape allegations by tourist.  Ridiculed and dismissed after 1 day.

 

Kill panther.  Months

 

Watch collection.  Ongoing after months.

 

Feudalism with a thin coat of modernity.

 

 

3 hours ago, JLCrab said:

Well the CSI LA Facebook thing seems far-fetched but with the SamuiTimes they could block the website in Thailand which I guess would not make their local Koh Samui advertisers too happy.

Ministry of Whitewash and Crime Concealment

Given some of the content, this latest flurry against CSI LA would be the least of the admin's problems. He is a US citizen with Thai roots.

Like many publications aimed at expats, the Samui Times went offshore a while ago because of oppressive Thai laws.

 

More "face saving" piss and wind from the authorities. Someone should educate them on the "Streisand Effect" .

If Thailand can take a look at Sarawak Report vs Najib Razak & the Malaysian government, they might just have second thoughts about skating on very thin ice. They were harassed, threatened & gagged. Ends up they contributed massively to the overthrow of the government & were welcomed back as heroes of democracy. Hope prayut reads this 555.

3 hours ago, nausea said:

True, but I guess it would be ill-advised and probably illegal for local businesses to advertise on a banned website, so the Samui Times would take a hit, apart from the fact that having to access through, say, Tor would narrow the readership base considerably. 

Yes, why would u waste any effort to use an anonymous browser to read copy/past news in most of the cases or fake news in the rest of the stuff they post.  crusaders of the truth my ace.... 

So was she raped or not ? Thats all we need to know. Did she change her story ? I don't think so. Didn't the owner of the hostel tell the police she claimed she had been raped on the beach ? 

And who are the 200 witnesses ?   So many questions and no answers. 

 

 

 

It’s getting to the stage where we will,all have to give serious thought before making any type of remark even on Thai Visa it appears that we are all being watched and our comments noted .

9 hours ago, JLCrab said:

Well the CSI LA Facebook thing seems far-fetched but with the SamuiTimes they could block the website in Thailand which I guess would not make their local Koh Samui advertisers too happy.

i look forward to it

Streisland effect again! 1984, Kingdom in Crisis etc.  got more popular when they banned it in Thailand

Streisand effect? Maybe. But who knows how long the SamuiTimes could keep going if they were to lose all their Samui and Thailand-based advertisers and then the British tabloids would not be able to run stories that say "As first reported in the SamuiTimes ..." and would then have to source their stories elsewhere.