SARABURI — A government official in Saraburi province resigned Wednesday after footage emerged of him trying to convince a 12-year-old girl into saying she was not gang-raped.
Sangwan Sitthipanya, a top local administrator, was pressured into resigning following the release of the clip one day after the victim’s father accused him of discouraging him from reporting the alleged assault of his daughter by five teen boys.
“Tell me honestly what they did to you. Did you orgasm?” a man can be heard telling the girl in the clip posted online. “Let’s talk first about what we should do. She’s kind of a slut.”
Update: No Bail For Saraburi Teens Accused of Raping 12-Year-Old
Sirichai Pratoomma, the deputy district chief, today identified Sangwan as the man in the video. He said the administration wanted his immediate resignation because he damaged its reputation. Sangwan reportedly resigned hours later.
The father of the girl went public about the story yesterday, claiming that Sangwan was related to one of the accused.
In an online post, he said he was in Bangkok on Sunday when he was informed by a friend that his daughter was assaulted at a local grocery shop. He also admitted to taking violent action against the teens and their parents in response, saying the police set the boys free while charging him with causing bodily harm.
The father said today that another girl was also assaulted along with his daughter.
Lt. Col. Monchai Roongrueangset of the Saraburi City police said Tuesday they would pursue both cases. He said they had to wait for child protection experts before interrogating the five teens – all minors – accused of raping the girl.
