Police Probe Alleged Assault on Chinese Woman

CHONBURI, Police have found relevant clues after a Chinese woman reported to the police in Chonburi that a Thai man tried to sexually assault and kill her in an abandoned plot of land. The 29-year-old woman's claim has prompted police to intensify their investigation. According to the victim, the incident occurred on February 18. She and her 19-year-old brother were hitchhiking along Highway 31, Sattahip-Nakhon Ratchasima about 10 kilometers from the crime scene. Two Thai men on motorcycles passed by and offered to give them a ride. The victim and her brother rode pillion on each motorcycle, but after a while, the two motorcycles separated. The motorcycle the victim was on veered into an alley, where the male rider forced her off the bike, tied her hands and feet, and began assaulting her, attempting to remove her pants. Failing in his attempt, he then applied lotion to her body, presumably to erase fingerprints and DNA evidence, and spread gasoline around the grassy area before setting it alight. She bel ieved he intended to burn her alive to silence her before fleeing. He took her money in yuan and baht amounting to 85,000 baht in total. The victim used fire to burn the ropes until it loosened and immediately contacted her brother for help. She provided a description of the suspect, who was dressed in a full-face black motorcycle helmet, long-sleeved dark blue jacket and gloves on both hands. Upon inspection, authorities found the burned area covering about 70-80 meters near the back of a golf course adjacent to a cassava plantation in Banglamung district. There were no light sources nearby, and signs of burnt grass corroborated the victim's account. Deputy Commissioner of Police Region 2, Pol. Maj. Gen. Chatchai Surachetpong, convened the task force to compile information for tracking down the suspect and expedite the arrest. Pol. Maj. Gen. Chatchai said some information about the suspect has been obtained and authorities are currently scrutinizing the CCTV footage, showing images of both motorcycles u sed to transport the victim and her brother. Police have questioned a motorcycle taxi driver who carried the victim's younger brother to Pattaya. He was denied any involvement in the incident. Source: Thai News Agency