Three suspected brothel owners were charged Saturday with procuring prostitution by Kompong Cham’s provincial court after they were arrested during a police crackdown on Wednesday, deputy provincial prosecutor Muong Sarin said yesterday.
Roeurn Neang, 37, Hem Dara, 43, and Chorn Kimsan, 42, were arrested along with 13 suspected female sex workers aged between 19 and 25 during a raid on a brothel in Roang Chak Skor village in Memot district’s Tramoung commune, said Be Bunnach, provincial anti-human trafficking bureau police chief.
According to Mr Bunnach all suspects confessed their guilt to police. “Ms Dara confessed that they were running a pimp shop since 2009 offering sex services to clients who want happy sex in the Memot district,” he said yesterday.
“We released all the prostitutes on Thursday,” he added saying police had warned the girls, who signed a document to promise that they will obey the law.
Mr Bunnach said that his department had cooperated with district police to shutdown the illegal business suspected of procuring sex for clients and to send the owners to court.
In the future police hope to raid a further 42 illegal businesses in the Kampong Cham province, in crackdowns aimed at eliminating brothels in the area, he said. Some 50 percent of these were believed by police to be brothels, he added.
Under the 2008 anti-human trafficking law, those convicted of procuring prostitution face between two and five years in prison.
Bou Vireak, provincial coordinator for the human rights organization Licdaho, commended local authorities yesterday for trying to prosecute on pimping and prostitution.
