17-10-2023 (BANGKOK) A Qatari man has been apprehended by the police on charges of allegedly raping an 18-year-old Thai man inside a bathroom at a private hospital in Bangkok. The suspect, Saoud Hussain Ma Alyafel, a 23-year-old Qatari national, has denied the accusations.
The investigation into the sexual assault case was conducted by an officer from the Lumpini Police Station, who successfully identified the suspect through security camera footage from both inside and outside the hospital, where the incident occurred. While police were still on-site investigating, Saoud appeared at the hospital’s emergency room. Officers promptly approached him, informed him of the charges, and subsequently took him into custody for further questioning.
If found guilty, Saoud could face between four and 20 years in prison and a fine ranging from 80,000 to 400,000 baht for the charge of raping the victim with violence under Section 276 of the Criminal Law.
The harrowing incident came to light when the 18-year-old Thai victim sought assistance from the non-profit organization Saimai Survive. He claimed that a foreign man from a Middle Eastern country had raped him in a bathroom at a renowned private hospital in Bangkok’s Sukhumvit district during the early hours of October 6.
Frustrated with law enforcement’s response, the victim urged the organization’s founder, Ekkaphop Lueangprasert, to file a formal complaint against the foreign man at the Lumpini Police Station. The victim expressed concerns that the suspect might attempt to flee the country before the case is processed, given the delay in questioning.
Accompanied by Ekkaphop, the victim visited the police station on October 10 to follow up on the case. In a media interview conducted outside the station, the victim recounted the events leading to the assault. He revealed that he worked part-time at a coffee shop within the hospital and, along with his colleagues, was cleaning up after closing at around 1 am.
The foreign man entered the shop and requested to buy ice cream, which the victim declined, explaining that the shop had closed. Subsequently, the foreigner inquired about the location of the bathroom, and the victim, also needing to use it, directed him. While the victim was urinating at a urinal, the foreign man approached him from behind and forcibly pulled him into a toilet cubicle.
The victim screamed and resisted, but the foreign man choked him and compelled him to engage in oral sex. When the victim refused, the foreign man allegedly raped him. Eventually, the victim managed to escape from the cubicle but was too embarrassed to seek help from his colleagues. Shockingly, the foreigner even returned to the shop, attempting to buy ice cream, before leaving the hospital. The victim insisted that he had never seen the foreign man at the hospital before.
In response to the victim’s concerns, the superintendent of the Lumpini Police Station clarified that his officers would expedite the investigation. He stated that the initial misunderstanding regarding a one to two-month waiting period was unfounded, as officers had already issued a warrant to summon the foreigner for questioning.
Furthermore, the victim alleged that some police officers had insulted him by suggesting he was willing to engage in sexual activity with the foreigner. The superintendent assured that an investigation into this matter would be conducted, and any officers found to have insulted the victim would face appropriate consequences.
