Thai policeman charged over Rohingya refugee assault

[Lite Beer]

Thai policeman charged over rape of Rohingya refugee

BANGKOK, June 28, 2013 (AFP) - A policeman has been charged with trafficking after a Rohingya woman was allegedly lured from a shelter in southern Thailand and subsequently raped by a man from the refugee Muslim minority, police told AFP Friday.

It is believed to be the first time a Thai official has been charged with trafficking of Rohingya boat people, despite probes into alleged people smuggling by authorities including the army.

The officer is accused of driving the 25-year-old victim along with her daughters, aged 12 and nine, and two other women, from the shelter in Phang Nga in late May.

The woman was told she would be taken to Malaysia to be reunited with her husband, who is also from the minority group, but was instead held at several places in the region in an ordeal lasting several weeks, police said.

The woman was allegedly raped repeatedly by the Rohingya man, believed to have worked as a translator at the shelter, who has been charged for the assault.

The victim and her children were found on a roadside and returned to the shelter last week when she contacted the police.
"The officer has been charged with taking part in human trafficking and abuse of his position", Police Colonel Weerasin Kwansaeng, commander of Kuraburi Police Station told AFP.

"The victim said he drove the car from the shelter," he said, adding it was the first time charges had been brought against police over the trafficking of Rohingya.

Dozens of Rohingya women and children who fled communal violence in Myanmar, are housed at the shelter while hundreds of men from the ethnic group are being held at an immigration detention centre in the same province.

Rights groups have repeatedly voiced concerns over the treatment of destitute Rohingya refugees by Thai authorities, saying they are held in poor conditions and are vulnerable to exploitation.

The rape "demonstrates the vulnerability of Rohingya women to human traffickers -- even when they are living in government-run shelters where they should be protected," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

In January Thai authorities opened an investigation into allegations that army officials were involved in trafficking Rohingya.

Around 2,000 Rohingya refugees remain in detention in Thailand while authorities wait for a third country to offer to accept them.

Described by the UN as among the most persecuted minority groups in the world, Rohingya have for years trickled abroad to neighbouring Bangladesh and, increasingly, to Muslim-majority Malaysia.

Myanmar views its population of roughly 800,000 Rohingya as illegal Bangladeshi immigrants and denies them citizenship.

An explosion of tensions between Buddhist and Muslim communities in Myanmar's western state of Rakhine since June 2012 has triggered a huge exodus of Rohingya, mostly heading for Malaysia.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2013-06-28

[Soutpeel]

Ironic isnt it.....the US starts making noises about Thailands human rights/watch list and all of a sudden arrests are being made....

[Katipo]

Ironic isnt it.....the US starts making noises about Thailands human rights/watch list and all of a sudden arrests are being made....

That's not irony, that's coincidence.

[unanimosity]

Let's see now, where will he be transfered?

[BrianCR]

Coincidence indeed and it's only the tip of the iceberg as to what these people have to put up with in the hands of their Thai 'captors'

[ThaidDown]

A policeman has been charged with trafficking

'A Policeman' , no name or any further information. If it had been a Thai civilian or Foreigner there would have been photos the person together with pictures of their ID card/Passport and people pointing.

Wonder how much follow up there will be for 'A Policeman'? or protecting their own.

[johnlandy]

Ironic isnt it.....the US starts making noises about Thailands human rights/watch list and all of a sudden arrests are being made....

And why does it not surprise that a Thai copper is involved?

[Thai at Heart]

Ironic isnt it.....the US starts making noises about Thailands human rights/watch list and all of a sudden arrests are being made....

This is but a drop on the ocean of crap that goes on here. But it's a small start.

[metisdead]

An off topic muslim bashing post has been removed as well as the replies.

[Thai at Heart]

Good going getting off that people trafficking list.

First Moody's, next the USA embassy reporting on people torturing Burmese children, the Thai navy implicated in transporting rohingya for money. And now this.

I do despair of where this country is going and wholeheartedly support anyone's efforts to stop people trafficking and exploitation.

It's just wrong, and there is no defence. That's it.

[hotrod4098]

so a thai father send his daughter to pattaya to earn money for his 1 million baht pick up...thats trafficking goes on every day..

[geriatrickid]

Good going getting off that people trafficking list.

First Moody's, next the USA embassy reporting on people torturing Burmese children, the Thai navy implicated in transporting rohingya for money. And now this.

I do despair of where this country is going and wholeheartedly support anyone's efforts to stop people trafficking and exploitation.

It's just wrong, and there is no defence. That's it.

Going?

With all due respect, the country arrived long ago. It's just that now, people are beginning to realize where Thailand is.

[Thai at Heart]

Good going getting off that people trafficking list.

First Moody's, next the USA embassy reporting on people torturing Burmese children, the Thai navy implicated in transporting rohingya for money. And now this.

I do despair of where this country is going and wholeheartedly support anyone's efforts to stop people trafficking and exploitation.

It's just wrong, and there is no defence. That's it.

Going?

With all due respect, the country arrived long ago. It's just that now, people are beginning to realize where Thailand is.

Umm. Realising where it is and where it may go are quite scary.

It doesn't seem to be going in the right direction to me for quite a while. Thainess has some very big issue to solve.

Edited June 28, 2013 by Thai at Heart

[Maggusoil]

Ironic isnt it.....the US starts making noises about Thailands human rights/watch list and all of a sudden arrests are being made....

This is but a drop on the ocean of crap that goes on here. But it's a small start.

Is not alway 'carp' here as you write. There some carp, but not allway. Why you here if is all carp?

Carp is a fish, not noted for its edibility. C R A P alludes to the on topic nature of this news. Which means, in this instance man's inhumanity to man or in this case a woman, which is frequently the case.

We are wise enough to know everything is not crap, This is most definitely crap, but there is an awful lot of this going on and a lot of it in Thailand.

If you don't think this is crap, then I suggest you take crap detector classes.

It's a world wide phenomena and it is highly appropriate for media outlets such as this to publicise it whenever it

happens, and for readers to call it what it is.

Crap is in fact not nearly strong enough a term.

People who take advantage of other peoples vulnerability, especially when they are being paid to protect them,

should receive the maximum penalty possible. . . . in this case, exile, somewhere suitable, like Irian Jaya, set them free in the jungle. .

[Pib]

Is there any list that Thailand has not been on or is currently on? Money laundering list, drug trafficking list, human trafficking list, IP/piracy list, etc...etc...etc.

[Bagwan]

Ironic isnt it.....the US starts making noises about Thailands human rights/watch list and all of a sudden arrests are being made....

This is but a drop on the ocean of crap that goes on here. But it's a small start.

Is not alway 'carp' here as you write. There some carp, but not allway. Why you here if is all carp?

You wouldn't by chance be a signwriter would you?

[arthurboy]

Here's the reality: http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/210742.pdf

There were credible reports that corrupt officials protected brothels, other commercial sex venues, and seafood and sweatshop facilities from raids and inspections, colluded with traffickers, used information from victim testimony to weaken cases, and engaged in commercial sex acts with child trafficking victims. In addition to the well known corruption of local-level police officers, there were also protective relationships between central-level specialist police officers and the trafficking hotspot regions to which they were assigned. Thai police officers and immigration officials reportedly extorted money or sex from Burmese citizens detained in Thailand for immigration and sold Burmese migrants unable to pay labor brokers and sex traffickers. The government reported the ongoing investigation of a public official for human trafficking and the temporary transfer of a police superintendent for negligence in a human trafficking case, but it did not provide additional information about the details or the status of this case. One government official was reportedly convicted for charges related to forced labor. Media sources reported that the Thai army investigated two officers accused of smuggling Rohingya asylum seekers and suspended them pending the results of the investigation.

Comments?

Edited June 28, 2013 by arthurboy

[user786895]

What a disgusting and nasty side of Thai life! And clearly, it can and does continue because people in high positions are involved. Makes one want to puke.

[nottocus]

Here's the reality: http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/210742.pdf

There were credible reports that corrupt officials protected brothels, other commercial sex venues, and seafood and sweatshop facilities from raids and inspections, colluded with traffickers, used information from victim testimony to weaken cases, and engaged in commercial sex acts with child trafficking victims. In addition to the well known corruption of local-level police officers, there were also protective relationships between central-level specialist police officers and the trafficking hotspot regions to which they were assigned. Thai police officers and immigration officials reportedly extorted money or sex from Burmese citizens detained in Thailand for immigration and sold Burmese migrants unable to pay labor brokers and sex traffickers. The government reported the ongoing investigation of a public official for human trafficking and the temporary transfer of a police superintendent for negligence in a human trafficking case, but it did not provide additional information about the details or the status of this case. One government official was reportedly convicted for charges related to forced labor. Media sources reported that the Thai army investigated two officers accused of smuggling Rohingya asylum seekers and suspended them pending the results of the investigation.

Comments?

That's life unfortunately.

Edited June 28, 2013 by nottocus

[bander]

The officer is accused of driving the 25-year-old victim along with her daughters, aged 12 and nine, and two other women, from the shelter in Phang Nga in late May.

Did the Rohingya woman accuse the father of her 12 year old daughter of raping her when she was 13 years old or isn't it rape when Muslims having sexual intercourse with children?

[boisian]

The officer is accused of driving the 25-year-old victim along with her daughters, aged 12 and nine, and two other women, from the shelter in Phang Nga in late May.

Did the Rohingya woman accuse the father of her 12 year old daughter of raping her when she was 13 years old or isn't it rape when Muslims having sexual intercourse with children?

Ouch, Damn....hopefully incorrect birthdate on docs - apparently quite a few of the country folk get their dates wrong due to delayed lodging of notification of birth docs after home birth in the village. Still, that's all nasty. Don't envy that Rohingya chicks life so far.....

[Espinete]

What a disgusting and nasty side of Thai life! And clearly, it can and does continue because people in high positions are involved. Makes one want to puke.

NickNick, it is Thailand.......dark skinned from their own Isan area are lowest on the pecking order ladder. Rohinya, Lao H'mong, Karen, Aka, etc. refugees are less than dogs for this 'Buddhist' society. And on top, when you are born female you don't have rights at all. Don't read and follow to much, you might puke 24/ 7.