Phuket police arrest 2 men after motel allegation tied to street dispute

Phuket police said two Thai men, aged 22 and 28, were arrested on May 11 after a social media complaint alleged a Myanmar woman had been taken to a short-stay motel and sexually assaulted. Investigators at Phuket City Police Station said the case began with a fight over motorcycle damage, and officers are still examining whether any abduction or rape took place.

The complaint posted on a well-known Phuket page said the woman’s boyfriend sought justice after sharing video from the motel, where he claimed she was found naked. Col Chatree Chukaew, chief of Phuket City Police, ordered investigators to fast-track the case and personally questioned the suspects.

Police separate assault claim from earlier fight

Police said the incident involves two strands: the original assault between the men and the later allegation raised online. According to questioning, the confrontation started when one side demanded compensation for a damaged motorcycle, leading to punches being thrown by both sides.

Officers said patrol police first responded to break up that fight. Afterward, the woman left on the back of one suspect’s motorcycle, prompting her boyfriend to become angry.

Patrol officers then followed the motorcycle to the motel because they feared the men might clash again. Police said they found the group arguing at the motel, intervened a second time, and then the parties dispersed.

One suspect told police the woman went willingly and that no force or rape occurred, but officers said they have not accepted that account. The same suspect admitted taking drugs before the incident, and a urine test found narcotics in his system. Police have already filed charges over the fight, while any case over rape or abduction is pending the woman’s statement.

Source: https://www.dailynews.co.th/news/5852406/