Man arrested over alleged Thai sex attacks

Thai police have reportedly arrested a man in connection with an alleged sex attack on two Irish tourists yesterday morning.

The two girls, both 23-year-old students, were allegedly attacked by a gang of men as they walked along Lamai beach on the island of Ko Samui.

The man arrested today is believed to have worked on the beach renting boats to tourists.

The two girls, from Limerick and Navan, travelled to Ko Samui for a holiday earlier this month.

They were returning to their chalet on the island after a night out on Sunday when the alleged attack took place.

They claimed a group of men dragged them into the jungle, beat them and tore their clothes before they were interrupted by a passer-by and fled.

The girls will be asked to identify the suspect later today.

However, according to reports, the Thai authorities are reluctant to pursue allegations of sexual assault against tourists.

No prosecutions were ever secured in the cases of nine British women who were raped in Thailand since January 2000 and nobody has even been arrested in connection with the rape and murder of 23-year-old Welsh woman Kirsty Jones earlier this year.