Two women arrested at the scandal-wracked Chai Hour II Hotel have been charged with human trafficking and the hotel’s manager with colluding in human trafficking, an Interior Ministry official said Thursday.
With just three weeks before an Oct 1 deadline when US sanctions could be imposed on Cambodia because of its poor anti-trafficking record, activities at the Chai Hour II have also been suspended.
Sam Srey and Khun Navy, both 21, were charged with human trafficking by Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Thursday, while Sam Leng, 56, the hotel’s manager, was charged with collusion in trafficking, said Chhay Sinarith, director of the Interior Ministry’s Information Department.
Suspects Sam Srey and Khun Navy allegedly brought a 16-year-old girl to sell at the hotel for sex, Chhay Sinarith said.
Ouk Savouth, chief prosecutor at the court, confirmed the charges.
Three females, aged 16, 17 and 18, were removed from the hotel during Wednesday’s raid and were to be sent to a women’s shelter run by the NGO Afesip, Chhay Sinarith said.
In a letter dated Wednesday, Phnom Penh Governor Kep Chuktema told the hotel’s director that the hotel was to close temporarily while authorities investigate.
A copy of the letter was taped to the glass doors of the Tuol Kok district hotel on Thursday evening. Inside the hotel lobby, lights and a television were on and two women stood behind the reception desk where two men could also be seen.
“This is temporary but we don’t know exactly” when the hotel will reopen, security guard Nov Vannak said.
In an interview with Radio Free Asia broadcast Thursday, National Police Commissioner Hok Lundy said police had found evidence that women and children were trafficked at the hotel.
“The owner of the hotel right now is at large,” Hok Lundy said. “We are trying to find him for arrest,” he said, according to the RFA broadcast.
The Chai Hour II hotel was subject to an anti-trafficking raid on Dec 7, when 83 women and girls were removed and taken to an Afesip shelter.
The next day, Dec 8, the shelter was attacked and the females taken away.
In the wake of the scandal, the US downgraded Cambodia to the bottom tier on its anti-trafficking global watchdog list in June.
Subsequent US sanctions could be imposed by Oct 1, but the US has asked the government to take several actions to avoid this, including the arrest of 10 human traffickers and the conviction of three.
The US also requested a reinvestigation into the hotel.
Somaly Mam, Afesip president, said that she was set to receive three females taken from the hotel.
This week’s events have shown that when a donor country threatens sanctions, the government responds positively, said Mu Sochua, former minister of women’s affairs.
“I believe the use of sanctions does work on issues that require a strong monitoring from the donor community,” Mu Sochua, now an opposition party member, added. “However, sanctions should not be used lightly,” she said.
One official with an anti-trafficking organization said similar investigations are taking place elsewhere in the city.
Police “are aggressively investigating all the brothels on Street 271,” he said on condition that neither he nor his organization be named, adding that underage prostitutes are working there.
One international police expert close to the Ministry of Interior lauded Wednesday’s raid, which was conducted by Information Department police rather than the beleaguered anti-trafficking department.
“They did a very good job, much better than in December,” he said on condition of anonymity.
“I’m surprised to see that when [police] want to work well, to show efficiency, to clear a case, they are able to do it without any external assistance.”
