Parents, 2 Accomplices Attempt to Traffic Baby

The parents of a 25-day-old baby and two accomplices were arrested and sent to Prey Sar prison on Tues­day for allegedly attempting to traffic the child to Malaysia, po­lice said Thursday.

Police arrested the father Bo Vy, 32, and mother Nuon Savorn, 37, at a Phnom Penh bus station as they were trying to leave for Poipet with the infant, said Meng Say, municipal Anti-Human Trafficking and Minor Protection Department Director, on Thursday.

“There are a lot of purposes that buyers have for the baby, but they re­­fused to inform me,” Municipal Court Chief Prosecutor Ouk Sa­vuth said on Thursday.

Police also arrested Chhey Chan Pho, 39, in Phnom Penh for al­legedly brokering the deal and convincing the parents to sell their child for $50.

“Chhey Chan Pho convinced the poor parents to sell their ba­bies,” Meng Say said, adding that her arrest led police to Dang Dara, 34, who was detained in Poipet. Dang Dara planned to take the ba­by to Thailand and then on to Ma­lay­sia.

“We do not know yet for what pur­pose the baby was being bought, but the baby is sold through Thailand to Malaysia,” Meng Say said.

The Municipal Social Affairs Department has custody of the ba­by, said Director Lek Meng Huor.

“We will keep the baby temporarily,” he said. “We do not know yet what we will do.”

If convicted of human trafficking, the four suspects could face at least 10 years in prison.

On Dec 15 police arrested three people for attempting to sell a three-month-old boy and traffick two 20-year-old Vietnamese wo­men to a Malaysia-based human trafficking network. The boy re­mains in the custody of the Muni­cipal Social Af­fairs Depart­ment, Meng Say said on Thurs­day.