BANGKOK (Thailand) - INTERNATIONALLY acclaimed Russian pianist and conductor Mikhail Vasillievich Pletnev has been charged with raping a 14-year-old boy in a Thai beach town, police said on Wednesday.
Mikhail Vasilievich Pletnev, the founder of the Russian National Orchestra, was charged on Tuesday with rape and appearing in compromising photographs with several other boys, said police Lieutenant Colonel Creetha Tankanarat.
He was released on a 300,000 baht (S$12,800) bail, ordered to report to the court every 12 days and is banned from contacting any witnesses in the case. He could face up to 20 years in jail and a fine of up to 40,000 baht if found guilty.
'This whole thing is a misunderstanding,' said Pletnev in a brief telephone interview with The Associated Press but did not elaborate. He said he had no intention of leaving Thailand and was still residing in Pattaya.
Thailand has long been known as a haven for sex tourists and paedophiles because of widespread prostitution and lax law enforcement. Authorities have voiced intentions to crack down on such offenses, and the Russian's arrest is one of the most prominent cases to date.
Police said the musician was taken in Monday evening following a tip from Traipob Boonmasong, a Thai national who was charged with child rape for his alleged involvement in a child prostitution ring. Police confiscated pictures of young boys, some alongside foreigners. -- AP
Source: The Straitstimesonline
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