PHNOM PENH'S CHINESE SEX TOURISM INDUSTRY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PHNOM PENH 001406 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS FOR G/TIP, EAP/MLS, EAP/RSP E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PREL KJUS CB KWMN SNAR SUBJECT: PHNOM PENH'S CHINESE SEX TOURISM INDUSTRY ¶1. (U) Summary. Typically shrouded behind legitimate businesses, Phnom Penh's sex establishments catering to the Chinese operate relatively discretely. Generally, Chinese men come to Phnom Penh for business reasons, not for the purpose of sex tourism. Chinese clientele refrain from the low-end brothels used by average Cambodians, preferring karaoke bars and massage parlors that cater to the Chinese. Some of these establishments have girls suspected of being trafficked from Vietnam and increasingly from China; numbers of underage girls present are hard to estimate, but girls as young as 14-15 years of age are not uncommon. Debt bondage draws some Chinese sex workers to Cambodia. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) Chinese-speaking Pol/Econ intern and Poleconoff of Asian descent surveyed various Phnom Penh sex establishments posing as customers. Information was gathered by asking Chinese businessmen, hostesses, and managers about Chinese-speaking visitors to Cambodia, and how they factor into the trafficking for sex industry in Cambodia. Catering to Chinese Sex Tourism -------------- ¶3. (U) An estimated 72,000 Chinese-speaking foreigners came to Cambodia from Mainland China and Taiwan in the first six months of 2006, making them second only to Koreans in the number of visitors to Cambodia. Most Chinese sex customers come to Phnom Penh on business and engage in commercial sex as a diversion. Local business associates sometimes take their clients to these locales to "experience" Cambodia. As in Chinese business etiquette, business partners associates have an obligation to make sure that the clients are satisfied with their stay in Cambodia. Often, business associates encourage foreign clients to sleep with a woman, based on a bawdy saying that someone does not "know" a country until he has had sex with its women. ¶4. (U) The Chinese do not typically like to receive sexual services at local brothels. The small, cramped, and often dirty facilities deter Chinese clients from taking advantage of the comparatively cheaper services. Instead, they prefer to choose cleaner, high-end facilities such as hotels, massage parlors, and karaoke bars. Many of these businesses have separate VIP rooms which customers can rent and use for sexual activities. Prices range from USD 20 to USD 150 �00A;depending on the type of service and ethnicity of the girl. -------------- Karaoke Bars: More Than Just Songs -------------- ¶5. (U) Sexual service in Cambodia is almost synonymous with karaoke bars. These bars are typically located in hotels and are intended to entertain resident guests. Some are located within an arcade-like mall or within an entertainment complex. Though sexual services are not blatantly advertised, the exteriors are distinctive and recognizable to Asian male clientele. Depending on the karaoke bar, room charges can either be calculated by hourly fees or by drinks. Female company for drinks can be purchased for approximately five dollars per hour. ¶6. (U) Most hostesses are not just hired for karaoke company, but prostituted by the owners. After the customers are seated, a manager parades a line-up of girls from which the customer may choose. The girls wear seductive apparel and often have a numerical badge to which the customer can refer when choosing girls. Nightly rates are approximately USD 40 for Khmer, USD 50 for Vietnamese, and USD 150 for Chinese girls. At one bar, the manager tried to sell her daughter to Emboffs. Once paid for, the girls can be taken to a hotel for sexual services; tipping is discretionary. -------------- Massage Parlors with Special Services -------------- ¶7. (U) Though there are reputable massage establishments in Phnom Penh, many businesses also provide sexual services. These parlors are typically distinguished by blackened windows, gaudy exterior lights and suggestive advertisements. Some of these girls are trafficked, while others work of their own volition. Parlors charge approximately seven dollars an hour for room rental, but sexual services are negotiated with the girl. Most girls charge between USD 10-20 with a portion going to the parlor owner. PHNOM PENH 00001406 002 OF 003 ¶8. (SBU) As is typical of Southeast Asia, the massage parlors are often equipped with a "fish bowl" viewing room. A large glass window divides the viewing room from the fishbowl with the girls on display. Girls wearing scantily clad outfits and number badges sit in rows. Their ages typically range from 15-27 years old. Some parlors clothe their girls by ethnicity. One parlor had Khmer girls wearing pink, Vietnamese in yellow, Chinese in red, and Russians in plain clothes. Chinese and European women tend to be seen as most desirable (and therefore more expensive) because of their rarity in Phnom Penh, we suspect some of the foreign girls of being trafficking victims but estimating a percentage is difficult. ¶9. (U) Customers sit on couches and are served drinks as they choose a girl. After the client decides on a number, he notifies the manager who then calls out the number. The girl enters the viewing room and leads the customer to a private room for massage and possibly sex. Condom usage is suggested but reportedly negotiable. -------------- -------------- Techno Music, Drugs, and Girls: Chinese Night Clubs -------------- -------------- ¶10. (U) Chinese night clubs are the newest fad in Phnom Penh and growing in popularity with Chinese tourists. Phnom Penh boasts three main Chinese night clubs: the Shanghai Beach Club at the Phnom Penh Hotel, the Casa Club, and the Holiday Hotel's Manhattan Club. Chinese-speaking men fill these venues after midnight, usually with their friends or business associates. Chinese-speaking Pol/econ intern observed that most of the girls were either Vietnamese, Chinese, or Sino-Khmer. Once a customer enters the club, either a manager ("mamasan") or hostess will approach and inquire if the customer wants company. Rates are negotiated and girls can serve as hostesses, dancing partners, or even bedroom company. Costs typically range from USD 10-50 depending on the girl and extent of relationship. ¶11. (U) Once entering the club, customers can find an assortment of drugs such as marijuana, methamphetamines (ya ba/ya ma) and cocaine sold by either the girls working at the club or independent sellers. Pol/econ intern noticed that almost all of the Chinese patrons appeared to be high on drugs, as were their female companions. Security guards screen customers for weapons, but questionable substances were openly available and in use in these establishments. -------------- Foreign Sex Workers in Phnom Penh -------------- ¶12. (SBU) Chinese sex workers are more prevalent now in Phnom Penh than in the past several years. A handful of Chinese girls can be found in almost all of the high-end karaoke bars and massage parlors. One worker told Emboffs she started working at the massage club because she owed USD 10,000 in China, and had come to Phnom Penh to work off the debt as a prostitute. Originally from southern China's Fujian province, she makes over USD 1,000 a month, and plans to pay back the debt within a year. She said she first started working in a karaoke bar, but because she did not like to drink alcoholic beverages she moved to the massage parlor where she could make money without having to drink. She claimed that many Chinese sex-workers like herself have entered into agreements to come to Cambodia to work off debts. After she pays her debt, she will purchase an airplane ticket and fly back to China. (Note: A former AFESIP staff member said she encountered a similar situation after police conducted a brothel raid. Four Chinese sex workers were found to have three-year work visas in their passports. End note.) Another Chinese sex worker, college-educated, claimed that she was from Dalian in northeastern China. Sharing a similar background, she has a network of friends in analogous professions working in Thailand and Malaysia. Those countries will be her next destinations after she finishes working in Cambodia. ¶13. (SBU) Though much rarer than Chinese workers, Russian sex-workers can be found in Phnom Penh. Pol/econoff and Pol/Econ intern observed Russian sex-workers in a few massage parlors and at a Chinese night club. At the karaoke club, two Russian females were offered for sexual services. The manager asked for approximately USD 120 to take home a Russian girl for the entire night. PHNOM PENH 00001406 003 OF 003 ¶14. (SBU) Comment. Within Cambodia's sex tourism industry, those facilities catering to Asian men have been largely uncharted territory for this Mission as well as for many in the NGO community, given the lack of personnel with Chinese language capability. Interestingly, establishments geared for Chinese men are not frequented by large numbers of Korean or Japanese customers. Chinese-speaking hostesses rarely entertained customers other than ethnic Chinese; no Westerners were encountered by Emboffs during their visits. It was difficult to assess the extent of human trafficking in these establishments, as girls are invariably coached to give their ages as 18-20 years to avoid police raids. Only after Emboffs had engaged girls in conversation were they able to ascertain that some girls were as young as 14-15 years of age. The issue of debt bondage among Chinese sex workers and the growing numbers of girls coming to Cambodia from China for sex work were also new aspects to the sex tourism industry in Cambodia. End Comment. MUSSOMELI