Police raiding the Leang Huor brothel (Photo: Ratanak, Koh Santepheap news)
Leang Hour and Chhay Huor II owner and manager arrested (Photo: Ratanak, Koh Santepheap news)
Police took four young women out of the brothel (Photo: Ratanak, Koh Santepheap news)DPA
Phnom Penh - Three men were remanded in custody on debauchery and human trafficking charges after a police raid on the site of a now-infamous Cambodian hotel, local media reported Monday.
The Khmer-language daily Koh Santepheap said the owner of the Leang Hour Hotel, Te Pao Ly, 36, hotel general manager Som Leang, 59, and manager Em Marady, also 36, had been charged by Phnom Penh Municipal Court after a raid on the hotel Sunday allegedly rescued four female workers who claimed they had been forced into the sex trade.
A 2004 raid on the same hotel, then named the Chhay Hour 2, sparked a controversy which caused the US State Department to downgrade Cambodia on its international anti-trafficking list after around 80 women taken from the hotel were subsequently removed from a holding shelter run by the non-government organization AFESIP by a group of unidentified armed men.
Anti-human trafficking and human rights groups were outraged, calling the removal of the females an abduction which proved their work was being undermined by officials at the highest levels of government.
At the time, female workers at the hotel denied they had been involved in sex work. Ly and Leang were both sentenced to jail terms on human trafficking-related charges but were released on appeal. Ly also escaped a jail term for possessing an illegal weapon.
Koh Santepheap quoted the Interior Ministry as saying around 100 women were discovered at the hotel in Sunday's raid and four claimed they had been forced to work as prostitutes and were put into the care of AFESIP after the raid.
Interior Ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak was unavailable for comment Monday. It was unclear how old the alleged victims were or if the hotel remained closed.
Under Cambodia law the men face up to 20-year jail terms for the debauchery charges alone. Debauchery is the Cambodian term for sexually related offenses, usually involving minors. They may be held up to six months awaiting trial.
The Khmer-language daily Koh Santepheap said the owner of the Leang Hour Hotel, Te Pao Ly, 36, hotel general manager Som Leang, 59, and manager Em Marady, also 36, had been charged by Phnom Penh Municipal Court after a raid on the hotel Sunday allegedly rescued four female workers who claimed they had been forced into the sex trade.
A 2004 raid on the same hotel, then named the Chhay Hour 2, sparked a controversy which caused the US State Department to downgrade Cambodia on its international anti-trafficking list after around 80 women taken from the hotel were subsequently removed from a holding shelter run by the non-government organization AFESIP by a group of unidentified armed men.
Anti-human trafficking and human rights groups were outraged, calling the removal of the females an abduction which proved their work was being undermined by officials at the highest levels of government.
At the time, female workers at the hotel denied they had been involved in sex work. Ly and Leang were both sentenced to jail terms on human trafficking-related charges but were released on appeal. Ly also escaped a jail term for possessing an illegal weapon.
Koh Santepheap quoted the Interior Ministry as saying around 100 women were discovered at the hotel in Sunday's raid and four claimed they had been forced to work as prostitutes and were put into the care of AFESIP after the raid.
Interior Ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak was unavailable for comment Monday. It was unclear how old the alleged victims were or if the hotel remained closed.
Under Cambodia law the men face up to 20-year jail terms for the debauchery charges alone. Debauchery is the Cambodian term for sexually related offenses, usually involving minors. They may be held up to six months awaiting trial.
6 comments:
Great work by our law enforcement
officers.
A salute to you all for defending
all of us from the criminals.
And may God continues to assist you
in doing your work well.
Chey Yoh, Kampuchea!!!
Yes, but don't be too confident
that all court cases will always
yieded the truth all of the times.
If that were the case, we would
never unknowingly convicted some
innocent people in any judicial
system. Again, no Judicial system
on this planet is close to perfect.
As for the granted leave, either
the media hiding the reason given
by presiding judges or they are
sooo stupid not to ask for detail.
What is a bunch of clowns?
Sorry, wrong topic. This is a
reply to the Heng Pov's case.
Hok Landy going to get mad!
Let him. He'll get over it.
Alles schön und gut, bravo an der Polizei, aber das ist doch lächerlich, die schweine die Menschenhandel machen und Kinder von 5 Jahre bis x Jahre zur Prostitution zwingen,müssen lebensläglich büsen. Aber nein Jeder hat angst von der Sex Mafia da, und lassen solche schweine einfach in ruhe Ihre Arbeit machen, und so werden KINDER !!!!! von 5 JAHRE!!!! vergewaltigt und missbraucht ! Ist das noch normal??????!!! Das ist doch krank, solche Leute müsste man richtig quälen, solche schweine müsste man vergewaltigen damit sie den schmwerz fühelen was die Mädchen mitmachen. Es ist einfach schrecklich dass touristen dahin gehen und KINDER zu vöglen , DAS IST DOCH KRANK. !! Immer mehr hab ich das gefühl das wir in einer komischen Welt leben wo es Kein Gott gibt =( sowas macht mich sehr traurig! Eine Frau vor der ich VIEL Respekt habe und immer haben werde ist SOMALY MAM!!!
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