Transvestite parent suspected, but not charged
Theerarak
Suthathiwong
Preliminary autopsy results on a 2-year-old
apparent-rape victim were not conclusive enough for police to arrest his
transvestite guardian for the toddler’s death.
Pongpaya Promsrichan was pronounced dead at Banglamung Hospital May 21
after being brought in by his adoptive father Pornchai Promsrichan. The
34-year-old transvestite claimed the child had suffered convulsions and
stopped breathing on the way to the hospital.
Hospital officials immediately called authorities after discovering the
child had suffered cut and bruises to its face and had badly torn anus
with what was believed to be semen still inside. The transvestite has
denied raping the infant and has not been charged with any crime.
Preliminary findings from the Forensics Institute in Bangkok proved
inconclusive. A full autopsy needed to be completed to determine whether
the child indeed died of heart or circulatory problems as claimed.
Under repeated questioning from police, Pornchai was said to have
admitted to investigators that he played roughly with the boy, sometimes
squeezing the boy’s genitals and using his teeth and nails on the child.
But the Udon Thani native denied killing or raping the boy.
After a May 23 interrogation, police granted a request for coroners to
release the infant’s body for a funeral in Issan.
Police said they still do not have enough evidence to arrest the
transvestite and acknowledged the child’s anal injuries could have come
from infection or from having something inserted in the anus.
Meanwhile, police are investigating how the “woman of the second
category” came to be the boy’s parent.
Pornchai claimed he was given the child by Ekachai Mungmai, 23, and
Wandee Pinsap, 20, after the couple acquiesced to the transvestite’s
pleas for Wandee not to have an illegal abortion for her unplanned
pregnancy. He said he later formalized the adoption and changed the
child’s name.
