Alleged Koh Tao rape victim in her first interview accuses police of suppressing truth

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Alleged Koh Tao rape victim in her first interview accuses police of suppressing truth 

The Nation

 

File Photo

 

IN HER first media interview, a 19-year-old British teenager has stuck to her claim that she was drugged, robbed and raped during her vacation on Koh Tao in June and accused authorities of trying to suppress the truth. 
 

The unidentified teenager also warned other young people to stay away from the island, off Surat Thani province, in an interview with The Times.

 

In the story published on September 8, she said that Thai authorities tried to publicly discredit her rather than investigate her claim and did not offer basic support or forensic checks.

 

She accused them of suppressing the truth about the brutal attack, during a gap year holiday over the summer, because it would have a negative impact on tourism.

 

The alleged victim, from London, said: “I would urge other young people to stay away. I would never feel safe going back to Koh Tao.

 

“I wouldn’t tell people not to go to Thailand in general, it is one of my favourite countries. But it is a beautiful place with a dark side that blinds you.”

 

She told The Times that she was attacked in the early hours of June 26 on Sairee beach, the same place where British tourists Hannah Witheridge, 23, and her friend David Miller, 24, were bludgeoned to death in 2014.

 

However, Thai police who investigated the claim concluded that no rape took place.

 

The teen’s rape claim hit the island’s reputation as a beach paradise popular with foreign backpackers, following the brutal murders of the two British backpackers.

 

The teenager has claimed that she tried to file a complaint with Thai police about the rape but they refused to document it. However Thai police maintain she only mentioned the robbery of her belongings.

 

She then returned to London in early July and alerted her mother who filed a complaint with police in the UK and handed over clothes she wore on the night of the attack.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30354134

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-09-10

[Esso49]

This should be interesting as to how the Thai authorities approach the fact that the Times has published this interview. 

[Just1Voice]

Thai cops and authorities trying to suppress the truth?  Well, I never heard of such a thing in Thailand. 

lol

 

[anon789561]

so come back and file the complaint as requested by the RTP. it's a must. otherwise it's all hearsay. even scotland yard can't do anything

[Basil B]

No audio or video recordings of interviews...

 

One would have thought the local cops would have made sure they were squeaky clean since 2014...

[OneMoreFarang]

Accusations, accusations, and more accusations. Sounds like MeToo.

How about some evidence?

 

Post a couple of picture of her and let's look how many people will come forward with information about what she did in Thailand.

And then please publish whatever people all this. Because accusations is all we need, it seems nobody cares about facts and evidence anymore.

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

8 minutes ago, Happy enough said:

so come back and file the complaint as requested by the RTP. it's a must. otherwise it's all hearsay. even scotland yard can't do anything

And face getting arrested and prosecuted by the Thai authorities for defaming their and the island's "good" name????

 

Just posting accounts of the episode on Facebook has gotten uninvolved Thai people arrested. What do you think the authorities would do if they got their hands on the source of the allegations that they consider false?

 

[Just1Voice]

Apparently she has some article of clothing she will submit for DNA testing.  But unless it contains semen, and not sweat, she could have picked that up anywhere. 

[anon789561]

1 minute ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

And face getting arrested and prosecuted by the Thai authorities for defaming their and the island's "good" name????

 

Just posting accounts of the episode on Facebook has gotten uninvolved Thai people arrested. What do you think the authorities would do if they got their hands on the source of the allegations that they consider false?

 

follow up the complaint? jesus. these people aren't animals but you can't just blab shit about shit. come and file the complaint and get the process underway

am i wrong?

[Samui Bodoh]

"...She accused them of suppressing the truth about the brutal attack, during a gap year holiday over the summer, because it would have a negative impact on tourism..."

 

It is hard to argue with the above.

 

Two questions to my fellow TVF members;

 

1. Do you believe that the police are more interested in investigating her story or protecting the tourism industry?
2. Would you allow your wife/daughter/sister/female friend visit there alone?

 

I know what my answers would be...

 

 

[AlexRich]

16 minutes ago, Happy enough said:

so come back and file the complaint as requested by the RTP. it's a must. otherwise it's all hearsay. even scotland yard can't do anything

 

And then be sent to jail in order to save someone’s face? I can never quite work out people like you ... you’ve probably been in Thailand a long time but seem to think that the girl’s claims will receive a proper investigation? 

[anon789561]

6 minutes ago, Samui Bodoh said:

"...She accused them of suppressing the truth about the brutal attack, during a gap year holiday over the summer, because it would have a negative impact on tourism..."

 

It is hard to argue with the above.

 

Two questions to my fellow TVF members;

 

1. Do you believe that the police are more interested in investigating her story or protecting the tourism industry?
2. Would you allow your wife/daughter/sister/female friend visit there alone?

I know what answers I would give...

 

married a pain in the neck from chumphon. everyone there knows what goes on in tao, they run the islands from paknam and the nests etc. had honey moon there 20 odd years ago. never pay there. know them all. thats not keyboard stuff thats honest. 2. no

[anon789561]

Just now, AlexRich said:

 

And then be sent to jail in order to save someone’s face? I can never quite work out people like you ... you’ve probably been in Thailand a long time but seem to think that the girl’s claims will receive a proper investigation? 

perhaps yes. it's her best chance of a prosecution

[AlexRich]

6 minutes ago, Happy enough said:

follow up the complaint? jesus. these people aren't animals but you can't just blab shit about shit. come and file the complaint and get the process underway

am i wrong?

 

Yes, you are completely wrong. All the Thai authorities have done is spent time trying to make the complaint go away and blame the victim. The island is run by criminals and the Thai authorities have no interest in seeking the truth ... as you might find out one day.

[AlexRich]

2 minutes ago, Happy enough said:

perhaps yes. it's her best chance of a prosecution

There is no chance of prosecution.

[anon789561]

1 minute ago, AlexRich said:

 

Yes, you are completely wrong. All the Thai authorities have done is spent time trying to make the complaint go away and blame the victim. The island is run by criminals and the Thai authorities have no interest in seeking the truth ... as you might find out one day.

i think you should learn to read better

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

13 minutes ago, Happy enough said:

follow up the complaint? jesus. these people aren't animals but you can't just blab shit about shit. come and file the complaint and get the process underway

am i wrong?

 

Under the circumstances with the way the Thai police have acted on this case, yes, you're WRONG!

 

Just look at the headline in today's news....

 

Quote

Thai police warn public: Be careful what you share - jail time awaits

 

Whether or not the woman's allegations here are true, their conduct in this has been disgraceful.

 

[anon789561]

1 minute ago, AlexRich said:

There is no chance of prosecution.

true without her coming to thailand as requested

[Samui Bodoh]

How many more people, especially young women, are going to visit that God-forsaken island and run into serious, possibly fatal trouble?

 

How many people would trust the Thai police to effectively investigate any reported crime?

 

BOYCOTT!

 

It is the only way to get through to the authorities; cut off the cash flow in order to see some action taken to clean it up.

 

 

[Crossy]

5 minutes ago, Happy enough said:

true without her coming to thailand as requested

At which point it would very likely be HER who gets prosecuted.

[BritManToo]

13 minutes ago, Samui Bodoh said:

Would you allow your wife/daughter/sister/female friend visit there alone?

I wouldn't allow any woman in my care to go anywhere alone, especially not in the early hours of the morning.

By the way, what did she claim to be doing on that beach, alone in the early hours of the morning?

[Just Weird]

5 minutes ago, AlexRich said:

There is no chance of prosecution.

Not at the moment as the girl has not even made an official complaint yet or taken up the RTP's offer to be interviewed in the UK!  Wonder why?  Her mother has complained but that doesn't count and this "interview" is just a repetition of what has already been said (unless there's more somewhere), nothing new.

[BestB]

She keeps making the claim and it’s not that I do not believe her but it has been long enough to run DNA testing on piece of clothing she supposedly has and surely if there was something she would have or UK police would have said something .

 

just one big mess with he say, she say that keeps on running in circles 

[Just Weird]

9 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Under the circumstances with the way the Thai police have acted on this case, yes, you're WRONG!

 

Just look at the headline in today's news....

 

 

Whether or not the woman's allegations here are true, their conduct in this has been disgraceful.

 

No more disgraceful than the girl who will not submit to an interview with the authorities that she is complaining about, even in London, and talking to them is the only way that this will be resolved.

[Just Weird]

11 minutes ago, Happy enough said:

true without her coming to thailand as requested

...or taking up the offer of being interviewed in London!

[Just Weird]

6 minutes ago, Crossy said:

At which point it would very likely be HER who gets prosecuted.

Yes, very likely, as so far she refuses to be interviewed about the alleged incident, anywhere, which could be very telling.

[AGareth2]

2 minutes ago, Just Weird said:

..or taking up the offer of being interviewed in London!

by whom

[Just Weird]

Just now, AGareth2 said:

by whom

RTP, obviously, they're the only ones who can investigate!

[Just Weird]

10 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I wouldn't allow any woman in my care to go anywhere alone, especially not in the early hours of the morning.

By the way, what did she claim to be doing on that beach, alone in the early hours of the morning?

...during high tide!

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

6 minutes ago, BestB said:

She keeps making the claim and it’s not that I do not believe her but it has been long enough to run DNA testing on piece of clothing she supposedly has and surely if there was something she would have or UK police would have said something .

 

 

I'm not a Brit, so I don't follow the UK news as close as others here...  But I haven't heard anything from the British police re this case since it first arose, including anything about what if anything they're doing with the supposed DNA evidence.  Have I missed anything on that?