Bangkok police arrested two northeastern men for the alleged assault and attempted rape of a French woman in Phra Nakhon district Tuesday morning.
Surasak Wanprapao, 19 of Chaiyaphum province, and Chuan Wamakhan 42 from Ubon Ratchathani, were taken into custody after an eyewitness alerted police.
Pol Lt Gen Ruangsak Jarit-ek, acting deputy police chief, said Mr Surasak was a construction worker in Hua Hin district of Prachuap Khiri Khan and had just arrived in Bangkok.
He and Mr Chuan went to the Khao San Road tourist area but had no money to travel back to their accommodations, so they allegedly looked for a victim to rob.
Pol Lt Gen Ruangsak alleged that they saw 32-year-old Eisa Luce Genevieve Kalicun walking alone near Sam Sen 3 Road at about 2.30am. Mr Surasak allegedly hit the woman in the back of her neck with a concrete block and dragged her into the road to rape her while Mr Chuan is accused of remaining on the lookout.
The woman kicked Mr Surasak's leg. Then Mr Chuan and Mr Surasak tried to run away, as there was a witness. Police arrested them with her mobile phone, cash in Thai, euro, American and Lao currencies, and her passport.
The woman sustained wounds in the back of her neck and her forehead and was treated at Vajira Hospital.
Tom Baslays, her 24-year-old British boyfriend, said Ms Kalicun was hungry and got left their guesthouse alone for a meal. They arrived in Thailand four days ago and the incident caused him to have very negative feeling about Thailand because they had visited other countries and had not experienced such an incident, the man said.
He added that the location was near a police station but proved to be unsafe.