Japanese man arrested over alleged molestation of boys in Chiang Mai
A 49-YEAR-OLD Japanese man accused of raping and molesting boys under 15 was arrested at his rented apartment in Chiang Mai’s Muang district yesterday morning. It was suspected he had molested at least 16 boys.
The 30-strong team of police and officials, including Pol Captain Khemachart Prakaihongmanee, Department of Special Investigation (DSI) Bureau of Foreign Affairs and Transnational Crime deputy chief, also rescued two naked boys, aged 12 and 14, from the apartment. They also collected evidence, including pornographic video clips and photographs of the sexual violation of boys that were reportedly published on Japan-based websites. Police investigation initially found that the accused, a tourist identified as Matsubara Teruaki, had been in and out of Thailand several times. On every occasion, he stayed at the same apartment in tambon Hai Ya for about a month. During his stay, his room was frequented by at least 10 boys, police said.
The DSI was told by Interpol in Japan that a Japanese man with similar identification as Teruaki had lured boys for molestation and taken video clips and images to share via social media among some Japanese people, Khemachart said. Some parents of the damaged minors also had filed complaints with police and there was some evidence suggesting wrongdoing, hence police secured an arrest warrant for the man before raiding his apartment yesterday.
