BANGKOK: Thailand is in a frenzy over a video showing Thai army soldiers having sex with a woman. The anger grew this week after the government reported the woman was autistic. A number of women's rights activists and groups are demanding that the government prosecute the soldiers for possible rape, arguing that the woman may not have known what was happening until it is too late. “It is appalling that this sort of thing continues to happen in Thailand, and to make matters worse, the woman involved may not have had all her faculties to decide whether or not to participate,” said Thai women's rights advocate and former consultant to the military Kiniti Thaksim. She told Bikyamasr.com that “the use of sex within the armed forces here is horrible and by filming it and showing it to people, it shows the horrid state for women in this country.” Others supported Thaksim's claims, with many lashing out at the army online, saying the military should be held accountable for the violations of women's rights “no matter what their excuse.” Investigation of the video revealed the woman in question was autistic, National Army Chief Prayuth Chan-ocha told senior officers in a meeting Monday, The Bangkok Post reported. The incident took place three years ago and while the 6 soldiers have been dismissed, Prayuth said their superior will face a penalty, along with the person who shot the video. He said the six soldiers acted thoughtlessly, and also said the woman should not have given into them, the Post reported. But online calls for the soldiers to be charged with a crime continues to grow on Wednesday, with activists demanding the army take further action. “Dismissal is not enough. What needs to happen is a criminal case against the soldiers,” wrote one Thai commentator on Twitter. Prayuth said he is working to determine the unit responsible for releasing the video, and intends to impose the maximum penalty. “The colonel will not receive his pension and the conscript trainer will be penalized for allowing the incident to take place in a military camp,” Prayuth said. The Post reported screen captures of the video have been making rounds on the Internet. The army is investigating whether or not they can prosecute whoever dispersed the pictures under the Computer Crimes Act, on grounds they tarnished the army's image in doing so.
