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Published on October 21, 2007

 Canadian Chris-topher Paul Neil yesterday denied charges of sexually abusing children and was remanded to 12 days of detention while police look for more possible Thai victims to come forward and testify against him.

The Criminal Court yesterday morning ordered Neil, 32, to be held in Bangkok Special Prison for 12 days for questioning, pending his trial on child molestation charges.

The police asked the court not to grant Neil bail on grounds that they were still gathering evidence against him and that he might flee.

According to a source, Neil denied all charges against him and gave no testimony about the case when police investigators interrogated him in front of lawyer and translator earlier yesterday.

Thai police will soon contact the embassies of Canada and other countries where Neil is wanted, the source said.

So far, only one teenager, from the Din Daeng district of Bangkok, has claimed to have been molested by Neil and police are looking for other possible victims.

Maj-General Wimol Pao-in, commander of the Division for Suppression of Crime Against Children, Youth and Women, said that although Neil denied the charges and refused to cooperate, police were confident they could get sufficient evidence to convict him.

Wimol said police were now investigating how many Thai boys had fallen victim to the Canadian. He urged victims to file charges so that the suspect could be prosecuted.

Police arrested Neil, who entered Thailand on October 11 from South Korea, at a home in Nakhon Ratchasima on Friday, just 12 hours after obtaining a warrant,.

Interpol had earlier this month made a worldwide appeal for the public's help

in finding Neil, who was wanted for allegedly sexually abusing young boys in Cambodia and Vietnam and posting pictures of the abuse on the Internet.