Rape and murder of girl, 13, on Thai train sparks calls for capital punishment
Celebrities join social media calls for the law to be changed to make rape punishable only by death after railway worker charged
The rape and murder of a 13-year-old girl, who was shoved off a moving train on an overnight trip from southern Thailand, has sparked public outrage and calls for capital punishment for rapists.
The body of the girl was discovered early on Tuesday morning near the train tracks in Prachuap Khiri Khan province’s Pran Buri district, said police colonel Napanwut Liemsanguan, the commander of the police’s Children and Women Protection Division.
The girl, who was returning with her sisters from a visit to their grandmother, had disappeared on Saturday night from a sleeping berth en route from the southern province of Surat Thani to the capital, Bangkok. The route is also popular among backpackers travelling back from Thailand’s island and beach resort destinations.
“Rape cases on public transportation do not occur very often in Thailand, but this case shows that there are loopholes in the system’s security which allowed the offender to commit the crimes,” Napanwut said.
The man arrested was a railway worker. Napanwut said the suspect told police he was intoxicated from methamphetamine and beer when carrying out the attack. He faced charges of rape, concealing a body and murder, which carries the death penalty.
On Instagram, Thai entertainment stars and celebrities joined the chorus of calls for the law to be changed to make rape punishable only by death. Convicted rapists now face a sentence of four to 20 years in prison and a fine.