Cambodians accused of raping tourists
THREE Cambodian fishermen were arrested early yesterday on charges of raping and assaulting foreign tourists at a hotel in Tambon Koh Kood in Trat’s Koh Chang district, police said yesterday.
The arrests followed two Frenchmen and two Frenchwomen filing a complaint at the Koh Kood Police Station.
They accused five men of assaulting them and raping the women.
Three of the French tourists were seriously injured and admitted to Koh Kood Hospital.
Police said hotel staff and villagers caught the Cambodians workers red-handed as they raped the two women.
The five men fled the scene naked.
About 50 people comprising military personnel, marine and police officials and villagers joined forces to comb the island in search of the suspects.
They took about two hours before three of the men were arrested. They have been identified as Jin, Tee and Pai.
They are all 20 years old. Two of the suspects were yet to be arrested as of press time yesterday.
The authorities were looking for them in mountainous terrain.
Police said the Cambodians work on the ship ‘Sor Prasert’.
Trat provincial chief Maj-General Nopparat Rinthapol said Sor Prasert left a pier in the province’s Laem Nhop district to trawl fish off the Trat coast.
He said while the ship was docked at the Aao Bang Bao pier, the five crewmembers swam ashore to drink.
He said they allegedly surprised the tourists at a dark, isolated area behind the resort, assaulted them with knives and sticks, and raped the women.
One of the tourists escaped and alerted hotel staff, he said.
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