Sydney: A man accused of luring three Thai
girls to Australia on student visas and then forcing them to
work at his Sydney brothel was charged with trafficking and
sex slavery offences on Thursday.
The 42-year-old, reported to be a Chinese-Cambodian, was
arrested in Sydney overnight following a tip-off from a
welfare agency working with the alleged victims, the
agency said.
"The AFP will allege the women were told they were
travelling to Australia on student visas, but upon arrival had
their passports confiscated and were taken to the brothel,
where they were held against their will," police said.
The man was charged with eight offences related to human
trafficking and sex slavery, the most serious carrying a
maximum 20-year jail term.
Trafficking of girls from Asia, particularly Thailand, is
a problem in Australia and police said it was "abhorrent" for
the victims.
"Human trafficking in all its forms is a heinous crime
that impacts not only the victims, but their families and
communities," said Glyn Lewis, head of Australia`s trafficking
squad.
PTI
