Pattaya Daily News

Pattaya, the 6^th of April 2010 [PDN]: At approximately 6:00pm on Tuesday, police Colonel Somnuk Changate (Banglamung Police Superintendent) and police Lieutenant Colonel Suphachat Piammanat (Banglamung Police Deputy Superintendent) were informed that a kidnapping and rape was occurring at the Ladda Apartments in Banglamung. Mrs. Fon (alias) [43] explained to police that her 14-year-old daughter, Miss May (alias), had been kidnapped and was being held hostage by a well known Ya Ba dealer and illegal money lender. Allegedly the young girl had been missing from home since the 3^rd of April and a friend had informed her mother of the abduction.

A team of police from the Banglamung station were dispatched to the scene, room 10 on the second floor of the Ladda Apartments, to apprehend the offender and release Miss May. Police blockaded the apartments entrances before storming the room were they successfully apprehended, Mr. Thana Kerdthong [27]. A search of the room revealed various drug related paraphernalia, a single shot pistol, one bullet and another affiliated gang member, Mr. M. Prakopsap [22].

In an interview with police, Miss May stated that, prior to the current kidnapping, she had been raped on several occasions by Mr. Kerdthong at the room after meeting him through a friend. She explained that Mr. Kerdthong had used the pistol to intimidate her before assaulting and raping her, also forcing her to consume Ya Ba with him or face being killed.

In relation to the events of the 3^rd of April, Miss May stated that she had been waiting for a friend at a payphone on Sukhumvit Road when Mr. Kerdthong approached forcing her at gunpoint to get on his motorbike. He then took her to his room, where he began to assault her and rape her several times over the course of the 2 day ordeal.

Under interrogation, Mr. Kerdthong explained that Miss May had willingly accompanied him to his room although he confessed to using Ya-Ba and having purchased the firearm from a Mr. Ho in Rayong. He stated that Miss May had taken the Ya-Ba of her own will and that he merely used the pistol as protection in his illegal money lending business.

Police Col. Changate revealed that, following their investigations into the matter, they are reluctant to believe Mr. Kerdthong’s account as it was found that he has recently been released from prison, where he was serving a term for a string of Ya-Ba and theft related charges. It also came to the attention of police that Mr. Kerdthong was involved in a shooting incident as recently as the 26^th of March 2010.

At present Mr. Kerdthong is facing charges of; raping a minor under 15-years-of-age, kidnapping, taking a minor away from parental supervision without permission, assault, class-1 drug use and unlicensed weapons and ammunition possession. Mr. Kerdthong will be remanded in police custody until further judicial proceedings commence.

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