MALAYSIAN POLICE RESCUE 15 THAIS FORCED INTO FLESH TRADE

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 20 (Bernama) -- Kuala Lumpur police Thursday rescued 14 Thai women and a 15-year-old Thai girl who were forced to work as Guest Relation Officers (GRO) after being lured into the country on the pronmise of lucrative jobs.

A team of 11 police officers found the victims, the others were aged between
20 and 30, in four different locations around Cheras - four at the Awana Puri
Condos, three at the Taman Yulik Apartments and eight in two town-houses in
Taman Midah, in Cheras, a suburb of Kuala Lumpur located to the south-east of
the capital city.

DSP Razali Abu Samah, an officer with the Secret Societies, Vice and
Gambling Unit at the Kuala Lumpur Police Headquarters, said these women came to
the country legally but had overstayed as most of their visas and passports had
expired and that they were kept like prisoners at the locations.

"We believe these women were tricked into coming to the country by their
'agents' on the promise of getting decent jobs, but instead, they were forced
into selling their bodies," Razali told reporters at the raid scene in Taman
Midah.

A 37-year-old local man, believed to be pimp, was also arrested outside the
Awana Puri Condos.

"It took us three days to observe their movements. And finally Nov 19, we
could only arrest one of two suspects. We managed to grab him while he was
taking the girls to see the clients," he said.

During the four-hour operation which started at 1.30 pm, police seized a
car where several packets of condoms and lingerie were found.

Investigation revealed that these girls were locked up in the houses and
were given food supplies once every three days.

Apart from that, there was only power supply in the houses but no water
supply and the women were only permitted to come out during night when they are
taken to see the clients, he added.

-- BERNAMA