Cambodia arrests foreigners for ‘pornographic dancing’
TEN foreigners, charged in Cambodia with producing pornography by posting photos on social media showing themselves engaged in sexually suggestive dancing, have tested negative for drugs, police and their lawyer said on Wednesday.
The 10 were arrested last week along with 77 other foreigners in a raid on the “Pub Crawl or Let’s Get Wet” event in Siem Reap town, close to the ancient Angkor Wat ruins. Sourng Sophea, an attorney for the foreigners, who include five Britons, a Dutch citizen, two Canadians, a New Zealander and a Norwegian, said police had carried out the drug tests at the prison where they are being held, on Tuesday.
“They found no addictive substance,” Mr Sophea said.
Siem Reap Provincial Court has charged the 10 foreigners with producing pornography for their role in organising the party. The other 77 foreigners arrested were freed after being educated about their unacceptable behaviour. They could face between one month and one year in prison if convicted.
Mr Sophea said that the accused wanted to go home, and called on the authorities to expel them rather than keep them in prison. “They want to go back to their home countries, they don’t want to be here anymore,” he said.
He said some of the photos posted by his clients showed them at a party, some drinking by a swimming pool and some of the women in bikinis, but none showed them having sex or exposing themselves. “I admit that they have done something wrong according to morality in Cambodian society, but their crimes did not warrant them being charged or put in jail,” Mr Sophea said by phone.
According to the law, he added, they should be deported or have their visas cancelled, but should not be held in pretrial detention.