Police close Sihanoukville casino over torture allegations

Police have closed down an illegal casino in Sihanoukville which faces allegations of confining and torturing people.

Cambodia.- Cambodian police continue to fight illegal casinos linked to human trafficking. On this occasion, authorities in the province of Preah Sihanouk detected a casino at which people were allegedly confined and tortured. Through a statement, officers said Qian Cheng, manager of Ding Sheng Casino, has been cited to cooperate with the investigation.

According to Khmer Times, victims said the alleged crimes happened at the casino. A task force has been formed to investigate. Ding Sheng Casino cannot be sold or leased to others while the investigation is ongoing.

In November, two women and one man were released after being forced to work in an illegal casino in Sihanoukville for at least two months. According to a report by Radio Free Asia, the three people were tempted by a false promise of a well-paid job by a trafficker who said he would pay them $1,000 to go to Sihanoukville. 

However, after they arrived they found their salary would be much lower, and when they tried to quit, the trafficker prohibited them from leaving and imposed a one-year contract on them.

In September, China and Cambodia renewed their existing cooperation agreement on cross border gambling. China’s minister of public security and Cambodia’s interior minister agreed to continue tackling cross-border crimes, including illegal online gambling.