Sex hearing 'more discreet'

Thanks to revised criminal laws, defendants' lawyers are no longer allowed to pose highly insensitive or irrelevant questions.

"Many questions were intended to make it look like victims agreed to have consensual sex," Friends of Women lawyer Permkwan Meesakul told the seminar on procedures to protect sexual victims.

Permkwan said after the procedures were revised, defendant's lawyers could no longer question plaintiffs' sexual behaviour without the court's prior approval.

"Many lawyers have admitted it's harder for them to defend alleged rapists," Permkwan said.

Ubonrat Leepattanakij, deputy chief of the Thon Buri Criminal Court, said her court now had separate reception rooms for plaintiffs so they did not have to come face-to-face with defendants.

"We can also arrange a partition in the courtroom upon the plaintiff's request," she said.

Pol Major Chatkaew Wanchawee, a female investigator, said the Royal Thai Police had instructed all police stations to provide separate interrogation rooms for sexual crimes because victims in such cases would prefer privacy.

"Although not all police stations have followed the instruction, many do," she said.

Chatkaew said current laws also ensured sexual victims would be interrogated only by a female investigator or an investigator whom they'd approved.

"They can also have a trusted companion by their side during the interrogation. All these measures are intended to ease their pressure," she said.

According to the Royal Thai Police, 7,041 sexual assaults were reported last year - up from 5,155 in 2007.

Of the cases reported in 2008, police arrested suspects in only 3,505.