BANGKOK: Thai police have requested parliaments permission to summon a lawmaker for questioning after allegations he raped a tourist, officers told AFP today.
Police in the northern city of Chiang Mai submitted the formal request as part of an investigation into Bangkok MP Chaiyamparwaan Manpianjit, 35.
A Taiwanese tourist told the police last month that Chaiyamparwaan raped her at a Chiang Mai hotel during the early hours of Jan 9, according to a police statement obtained by Thai broadcaster Bright TV.
We have followed the procedures (to summon him), Chiang Mai police chief Yutthana Kanchana told AFP.
Because Chaiyamparwaan is a serving lawmaker, police must ask parliaments permission to summon him for questioning.
Police have written to parliament warning that delays in the case could impact confidence in the Thai justice system and affect international relations, according to the broadcast statement.
Chaiyarparwaan, an MP for a constituency in the capital, was expelled from the main opposition Move Forward Party last year over allegations of sexual misconduct.
He is now a member of the newly-founded Thai Progress party.
Local media reported that parliament is set to discuss whether to hand Chaiyarparwaan over to police.