Four Suspected Human Traffickers Tried
Khmer Times / Buth Reaksmey Kongkea
Tuesday, 09 February 2016
Former garment worker Boeun Soklim, 33, (R) and Dul Chandy, 26, (L) walking back to prison after their hearing at Phnom Penh Municipal Court. KT/ Mai Vireak |
Four
suspects in a human trafficking case were tried by Phnom Penh Municipal
Court yesterday over allegations that they organized the forced
marriage of a 21-year-old woman to a Chinese husband in 2015.
Boeun
Soklim, 33, and her husband Chour Chorn, 40, were tried alongside
26-year-old Dul Chandy with “unlawful removal with purpose” under
Article 10 of the Law on Suppression of Human Trafficking and Sexual
Exploitation. Boeun Sreyna, a 29-year-old currently living in mainland
China, was likewise charged in absentia. If found guilty, each could be
sentenced to between seven and 15 years in prison, according to
presiding judge of Phnom Penh Municipal Court Veng Huoth.
Mrs.
Soklim, Ms. Chandy and Mr. Chorn were all arrested after the victim
issued a complaint against them to the Municipal Anti-human Trafficking
and Juvenile Protection police on January 25, 2015.
The
three were active human traffickers at the time of their arrest,
responsible for bringing four Cambodian girls to marry men in China in
2014 before their 2015 plot.
Mrs.
Sreyna allegedly called them from China, where she was living as the
wife of a man there, in early January of last year, asking the three to
find four girls in Cambodia who wanted to be married in China. Each
girl’s parents would be given $1,000, and both Mrs. Soklim and Ms.
Chandy would receive commissions ranging from $400 to $1,000 for each
marriage they were able to facilitate, according to deputy prosecutor Um
Sopheak.
Khoeun
Srey Am, a 31-year-old factory worker in Phnom Penh, was eventually
chosen to make the trip after agreeing to be married. Mrs. Sreyna
transferred $3,000 via Wing to Mrs. Soklim and Ms. Chandy to pay Ms.
Srey Am’s parents and organize her travel documents.
After
landing in Kwang Chov province, China, on January 19, Ms. Srey Am was
rescued by Chinese police working in cooperation with Cambodia’s
Anti-human Trafficking police and was soon sent back home.
When
she arrived, Ms. Srey Am called Ms. Chandy in order to retrieve family
documents from her. She then allegedly refused to give them back until
Ms. Srey Am paid her $10,000.
“Srey Am got angry and then sued Dul Chandy and Boeun Soklin for allegedly selling her to marry in China,” Mr. Sopheak said.
Ms.
Srey Am was not present at the hearing yesterday, but according to her
answers during police questioning, she said she was lured by Ms. Chandy,
Mrs. Soklin and Mrs. Sreyna into the marriage. She needed the money
they offered to support her poor family.
“They
are evil and unrighteous people. I would like to ask the court to
punish them so they will not commit such an act to other people in
future,” she said.
The
three accused confessed to their mistakes, but said they did not know
that their actions were unlawful. They requested the court reduce their
sentences.
Mrs.
Soklim said, “I did not know that this act was against the law. I would
like to ask the court to reduce my sentence. I promise that I will no
longer commit it again.”
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