Thai woman tells embassy sexual assault did not occur

A Thai woman who alleged she was raped by an immigration officer in Malacca has told the Thai embassy in Malaysia the incident did not occur.

According to Thailand's Foreign Ministry, the 32-year-old woman denied sexual assault took place as was previously alleged, as well as the accusation regarding the use of separate room for recording a statement.

"The Thai embassy (in Malaysia) was informed by the Thai woman that there was no sexual assault and no closed-door questioning in a separate room as was recorded in the report," said the ministry in a statement released in Bangkok.

Officers from the Thai embassy visited the woman on March 23.

The ministry also said the Thai woman and her three other Thai friends had been transferred to a women's shelter in Johor, in accordance with an order issued by the court under Malaysia's human trafficking law.

The Thai woman had claimed that an immigration officer at the Machap Umboo immigraton depot raped her while the officer recorded her statement on March 9.

Following her claim which were reported by the Malaysian media, Malacca police arrested an immigration officer at his office last Friday in connection with the case.

The 31-year-old immigration officer was subsequently remanded for three days.

Malacca police deputy chief Ruslan Hasan had said the police picked up the officer at the Malacca immigration office and the case was investigated under Section 376 of the Penal Code.

- Bernama