A German backpacker has spoken about her rape on a Thai island when her attacker was jailed for two years and eight months without parole.
Florentina Retka, 24, had taken a solo trip to the Southeast Asian country, booking a tour around the tropical island of Koh Chang with local guide Kasama Apichaisompon, 55, in February this year.
But the cruise ship employee said she began to feel uncomfortable when he took her to a secluded 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 pulling aside her swimsuit and penetrating her in the water.
Frozen in fear, she was too afraid to scream or fight back “in case he killed me.”
Florentina on holiday in Thailand, shortly before the attack in February this year
Florentina bravely shared her story and urged women not to travel to Thailand alone
After the attack on February 15, the rapist dropped Florentina off at her hotel resort. She said she burst into tears and confided in her family before reporting the incident to police on February 17.
Kasama turned himself in at Koh Chang Police Station the same day and was ultimately sentenced to two years and eight months in prison on November 30.
The holidaymaker bravely waived her right to anonymity and broke down in tears as she recounted the ordeal – and warned other lonely female tourists to avoid the country.
She said: 'I was isolated on a beach with no one around. He forced himself on me and raped me. How could I have fought back? He could have killed me. He took something from me that day: my dignity, my respect.
“I feel safe now that he is finally behind bars.”
Florentina said she had traveled alone to other countries and always felt safe, “even in the Middle East.” Her parents had warned her not to travel to Thailand because of the country's 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 holidaymakers in the minibus, leaving her at the mercy of the predator.
Florentina added: 'We went to a waterfall and swam there, but I noticed that he had part of his penis exposed and that he was touching himself. I looked away and pretended I didn't see anything.
“I picked up all my clothes and he said we were going to 'Long Beach.' And I thought, 'Okay, Long Beach, it's like a Long Beach and beautiful.'
“He took me there and there was no signal on my phone. There were no people, no restaurants, no hotels, nothing.
“And I went swimming and he came from behind and took me like that and he wouldn't let me down, and I looked at him like 'what are you doing?'
'I said, 'I don't want this.' I've said that a thousand times: 'What are you doing? I do not want this.'
“And he didn't care, he just took off my pants and pushed me.
'What can I do as a tourist? What? I am alone. It was my first time in Thailand. I didn't know the place he was taking me to. No people to yell at, no phone because we were on the beach. What can I do? Hit him? Maybe he'll kill me.
“I didn't know that person, I couldn't see into his mind, but I thought, 'Why is he doing this, why does it hurt so much.'
Local guide Kasama Apichaisompon, 55, was jailed for two years and eight months
While passing through, she booked a day trip through a local shop on the island of Koh Chang
Florentina said she was initially too traumatized to tell anyone. She was also worried that her parents would be angry with her for telling her not to go on holiday to Asia.
However, a few days later, her mother noticed during a video call that “something was wrong.” The locals then helped her file a report at the local station.
Florentina broke down in tears and said she felt the ordeal had robbed her of her dignity.
She said: 'I always cry because he took some energy away from me. He took my body. He took my respect.
'At the police station he was very strong and he said: 'look at the photos of that day, you are always happy'. But even when I cry, I can still laugh.
'I felt scared and scared after this happened, I went to my hotel and just called my best friend and I told him everything. I kept my video call open with him while I was sleeping because I was afraid the seizure would come back.”
Despite the experience, Florentina said she was grateful for the help she received from local police and tourist police. However, she advised women not to travel to Thailand alone.
She said: 'They did everything for me. They helped me so much. They picked me up and took me back to the hotel. They took me everywhere. Even now they write to me asking if everything is okay. They made me feel so safe.
'Be careful if you book a tour or day trip, if you have to go alone with the man, 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 go with two people, so even with your parents, with your friends, with your boyfriend or if you don't have one, just don't travel alone, it's better.'
A spokesperson for the German embassy in Bangkok said: “According to telephone information from the Trat Provincial Court, the suspect was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison without parole on November 30.”
In November this year, an American tourist claimed she was raped by a man she met on a dating app in Bangkok, Thailand. The female teacher, 24, allegedly attacked the suspect Tienming He, 25, while she was browsing Tinder and agreed to see him at a bar on November 2.
While in 2018, a British teenager claimed she was raped on the infamous island of Koh Tao. Thai authorities deported her from the country and accused her of fabricating the incident.
Also in 2018, a 34-year-old Thai construction worker surrendered to police two days after he allegedly raped a 29-year-old New Zealand woman as she returned to her hostel in Bangkok's Phra Nakhon district.
“Be careful if you book a tour or day trip, if you have to go alone with the man, don't go alone,” Florentina (photo) warned fellow travelers
The young German backpacker traveled solo to Thailand in February (photo on holiday)
Shockingly, in 2019, a young British backpacker, 21, was raped after passing out drunk on the island of Koh Phi Phi off the coast of Krabi province. A sailor working in the area reportedly found her at 3 a.m. and cut open her jeans before raping her.
Also in 2019, a Thai man was arrested for the brutal rape and murder of German backpacker Miriam Beelte, 26, on the idyllic island of Koh Si Chang.
In August 2021, a female Swiss diplomatic worker, 57, was found 'raped and murdered' at the bottom of a waterfall on Phuket island. She was discovered lying face down in a rocky pool at the bottom of a waterfall, with a black tarp over her body.