Army general accused of violent male-sex abuse

Maj Gen Sirichan Ngathong, deputy spokeswoman of the army. (Army photo)
Maj Gen Sirichan Ngathong, deputy spokeswoman of the army. (Army photo)

An unidentified army soldier has been transferred pending an investigation into an allegation that a lieutenant general physically abused and injured a man he met through a dating app while on a trip in the South.

The alleged offence occurred at a luxury hotel in Sadao, Songkhla, on Saturday.

Maj Gen Sirichan Ngathong, deputy spokeswoman for the army, said on Monday that a soldier had been transferred to a central unit as a result of the allegation. An army panel was being set up to investigate.  

If the complaint was found to be justified, the soldier would face disciplinary action, the spokeswoman said. If it was found the soldier physically abused the man, it should also be proved through the justice system, Maj Gen Sirichan said.

The spokeswoman said the matter was personal and had nothing to do with any official operation or policy.

She did not identify the soldier or state his rank.

Maj Gen Sirichan was responding to a man’s complaint that a lieutenant general invited him to have sex at a luxury hotel in Sadao district of Songkhla after they met through a dating app for men on Saturday.

The man complained that the lieutenant general beat and bit him during their sexual encounter, which included the use of sex toys. The officer also offered him crystal methamphetamine, but he rejected it.

The complainant said officer gave him 2,000 baht when he complained about the abuse.

It was reported in Thai media that the lieutenant general was on a duty trip to a meeting on communicable diseases in Thai-Malaysian border area.