BANGKOK – A police officer has drowned after a boat overturned in the fast-moving Loei River during a chase of a suspect in a child Molestation case. Rescue teams continued searching for Pol Lt Roengsak Khuak Khiew on Tuesday.
The incident began around 4.30 pm on Monday when Pol Lt Thanapong Duangmanee, a deputy investigator at Muang Loei police station, was told that Pol Lt Roengsak, a deputy crime suppression officer, had vanished in the river near Chaiyaphuek subdistrict.
He was trying to catch a man wanted under an arrest warrant for child molestation.
Pol Col Natthakrit Kamwisetchai, the acting head of Muang Loei police, sent rescue divers to search the area. After an hour with no sign of Pol Lt Roengsak, the team widened their search.
Earlier that day, police had responded to a theft at a scrapyard in Ban Kang Pla. Pol Lt Roengsak and Pol Sgt Anantachai Thophawong went to the scene and met a man who said his name was Wasan.
On checking, officers found he was Yotsaran Janta, 25, wanted for sexually assaulting a minor under 15, as stated in a Loei Provincial Court warrant.
The suspect ran and jumped into the Loei River. The river carried him away, and the two officers followed the riverbank before finding a boat. They used the boat to try and catch up with him on the water.
Strong currents and hidden rocks caused the boat to flip, throwing both officers into the river. Pol Sgt Anantachai managed to reach the shore safely. Pol Lt Roengsak was carried away by the water.
Despite heavy rain, rescue workers searched late into the night. The search was paused at 11.10 pm and restarted on Tuesday morning. Police have yet to confirm what happened to the suspect after he jumped into the river.
UNICEF estimates that about 400,000 children aged 12-17 in Thailand have suffered online sexual abuse and exploitation. Only a small number, around 1-3%, speak to the police, often because of stigma, not knowing where to get help, or fear of being blamed.
Physical and sexual abuse at home and in schools remains a problem. Many cases go unreported, sometimes because of social hierarchies and limited child protection resources.
The Thai government has set up the Thailand Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and passed laws to fight child prostitution and trafficking. Still, gaps remain, such as uneven use of victim-focused procedures and not enough social workers in local communities.
Children from migrant families or living in poverty face higher risks because of money issues and limited access to education or legal help.
For further information, groups like ECPAT (ecpat.org) and UNICEF Thailand (unicef.org/thailand) offer detailed reports on this topic.
