I was raped by tour guide on Thai island. He took me to a deserted beach then forced himself on me as I was swimming in the sea – it isn’t safe for women to travel alone in that country

A German tourist has spoken out about her rape ordeal on a Thai island in which her attacker was jailed for two years and eight months without parole.

Florentina Retka, 24, took a solo trip to the Southeast Asian country where she booked a tour of the tropical island of Koh Chang with local guide Kasama Apichaisompong, 55, in February this year.

But the cruise ship worker said she began to feel uncomfortable when he took her to an isolated beach where there were no other tourists around.

Florentina said she was paddling in the sea when the Thai native grabbed her from behind before ripping off her swimsuit and pushing her into the water.

Frozen with fear, she was afraid to scream or resist, “in case he killed me.”

After the attack on February 15, the rapist brought Florentina back to her hotel. She said she broke down in tears and confessed to her family before filing a report with the local police department on Feb. 17.

Kasama surrendered to the Koh Chang police that same day and was finally sentenced to two years and eight months in prison on November 30.

Bravely waiving her right to anonymity, the holidaymaker burst into tears as she recounted the incident and warned other solo tourists to avoid the country.

She said: “I was isolated on the beach with no one around. He attacked and raped me. How could I resist? He could have killed me. He took something from me that day: my dignity, my respect.

“Now that he’s finally behind bars, I feel safe.”

Florentina said she had traveled alone to other countries and always felt safe, “even in the Middle East.” Her parents warned her against traveling to Thailand because of its reputation for attacks and unexplained deaths.

She arrived in the country and was happy until she booked a day trip through a local shop on the island of Koh Chang, a short boat ride from the mainland in the south of the country.

There were no other vacationers in the minivan, leaving her to the mercy of the predator.

Florentina added: “We went to the waterfall and swam there, but I noticed that he had part of his penis exposed and he was touching himself.” I turned away and pretended that I didn’t see anything.

“I packed all my clothes and then he said we were going to Long Beach.” And I thought, “Okay, Long Beach, it looks like Long Beach, and it’s beautiful.”

“He took me there, but there was no signal on my phone. There were no people, no restaurants, no hotels, nothing.

“And I went for a swim and he came up behind me and picked me up like this, and he didn’t let me down, and I looked at him, ‘What are you doing?’

“I said, ‘I don’t want this.’ I’ve said it a thousand times: “What are you doing? I do not want it”.

“And he didn’t care, he just took my pants off and pushed me.

“What can I do as a tourist? What? I am alone. This was my first time in Thailand. I didn’t know where he took me. No people to shout to, no phone because we were on the beach. What can I do? Spank him? Perhaps he will kill me.

“I didn’t know this man, I couldn’t look into his thoughts, but I thought: “Why is he doing this, why is he in so much pain, in a lot of pain.”

Florentina said she was initially too traumatized to tell anyone. She was also afraid that her parents would be angry with her because they advised her not to go on holiday to Asia.

However, a couple of days later, her mother noticed during a video call that “something was wrong.” Local residents then helped her file a police report at the local police station.

Tearing up, Florentina said she felt the ordeal had stripped her of her dignity.

She said: “I always cry because he took some of my energy. He took my body. He has earned my respect.

“At the police station he was very strong and said: ‘Look at the photographs of that day, you are always happy.’ But even when I cry, I can still smile.

“After it happened I felt scared and afraid, I went to the hotel, called my best friend and told him everything. While I was sleeping, I kept a video call with him because I was afraid that the attack would happen again.”

Despite the experience, Florentina said she was grateful for the help she received from local and tourist police. However, she advised women not to travel to Thailand alone.

She said: “They did everything for me. They helped me a lot. They picked me up and took me back to the hotel. They took me everywhere. Even now they write to me and ask if everything is okay. They made me feel so safe.

“Just be careful if you book a tour or a day trip, if you have to go alone with this guy, just don’t go alone. Book it for another day, don’t go with them because you can’t trust one person. It’s better not to trust anyone.

‘And in Thailand, traveling as a woman, I think it’s better to travel as a couple, so even with parents, friends, a boyfriend or, if you don’t have one, just don’t travel alone, it’s better.’

A spokesman for the German Embassy in Bangkok said: “According to telephone information from the Trat Provincial Court, the defendant was sentenced to imprisonment for two years and eight months without parole on November 30.”

In November this year, an American tourist said she was raped by a man she met on a dating app in Bangkok, Thailand. The 24-year-old teacher allegedly attacked suspect Tianming He, 25, while she was browsing Tinder and agreed to meet him at a bar on November 2.

And in 2018, a British teenager said she was raped on the notorious island of Koh Tao. Thai authorities banned her from entering the country and accused her of making up the incident.

Also in 2018, a 34-year-old Thai construction worker surrendered to police two days after allegedly raping a 29-year-old New Zealand woman returning to her hostel in the Phra Nakhon area of ​​Bangkok.

Shockingly, in 2019, a 21-year-old young British tourist was raped after passing out drunk on Koh Phi Phi island off the coast of Krabi province. A sailor working in the area reportedly found her at 3am and cut her denim shorts before raping her.

Also in 2019, a Thai man was arrested for the brutal rape and murder of 26-year-old German tourist Miriam Belte on the idyllic island of Koh Si Chang.

In August 2021, a 57-year-old Swiss diplomatic worker was found “raped and murdered” at the bottom of a waterfall on the island of Phuket. She was found lying face down in a rock pool at the bottom of a waterfall, her body draped over a black tarp.