A SOLDIER was arrested in Battambang’s Ratanak Mondul district on Monday night after allegedly raping a 17-year-old woman at a resort in Pailin province.

Koy Heang, chief of the provincial Anti-Human Trafficking and Juvenile Protection bureau, said the suspect, 28, would be sent to court tomorrow for further investigation.

“The suspect persuaded the victim to visit a resort with him in Pailin province, where he raped her,” he said. “We captured him in Ratanak Mondul district, where he lives.”

He said the suspect was a soldier with Brigade 4 in Battambang, but had been suspended. He declined to give the reasons for the suspension.

He said the victim told police that she and the suspect were neighbours in the same village. He allegedly warned her not to tell authorities or relatives after raping her.

Kroch Chanpov, provincial investigator in charge of women’s issues for the rights group Adhoc, applauded the victim’s courage in coming forward.

“The victim decided to tell and file a complaint, and it is better,” she said. “Some victims keep these things secret because they are afraid to tell.”