CAMBODIA: POLICE CRACKDOWN ON POSSIBLE PEDOPHILE NETWORK

UNCLAS PHNOM PENH 001519 SIPDIS SIPDIS FOR G/TIP, EAP/MLS and EAP/RSP E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PREL KWMN CB SUBJECT: CAMBODIA: POLICE CRACKDOWN ON POSSIBLE PEDOPHILE NETWORK ¶1. (U) Summary: Police from the Phnom Penh anti-Trafficking Unit arrested five individuals, including two German nationals, for their alleged involvement in the sexual exploitation of four underage girls. The German suspects are accused of debauchery; the others, one of whom is the mother of two of the victims, are Vietnamese-Cambodians accused of procuring underage girls for the foreigners. Police believe the detainees are part of a pedophile network, and are investigating further. The victims were referred to an NGO. End Summary. ¶2. (U) Phnom Penh police sting operations carried out from August 19 to 21 resulted in the arrest of five persons suspected of involvement in sexual exploitation of children. Keo Thea, Deputy Chief of the Phnom Penh anti-Trafficking Unit, reported that he arrested three Vietnamese-Cambodians on August 19 after they, along with four girls aged from 10 to 13, left the home of a German national, Karl Heinz Henning, suspected of sexually abusing children. The three Viet-Cambodian suspects, one of whom is the mother of two victims, confessed to procuring the girls for the man's sexual exploitation. Henning allegedly paid USD 30 for each encounter, and the procurers received 40 to 50 percent of that amount. On August 20, police raided Henning's home and found pornographic pictures and videos. The following day, police arrested another German national, Thoman Baron von Engelhardt, who was seen in the video footage with Henning. With the exception of Henning, who was hospitalized in an escape attempt, the suspects were sent to court to face charges. ¶3. (U) Mr. Keo Thea said that police started investigating Henning two months ago after receiving a tip from the anti-TIP NGO Action Pour Les Enfants (APLE). He said that he believes that the German suspects belong to a greater pedophile network, as police found more than 1,600 pornographic pictures and video of Cambodian and foreign children, some of which were posted on an Internet website. He added that police and technicians are trying to unlock additional computer files that were password-protected. Other children and sex offenders were seen in the pictures and video footage; police are currently trying to determine their identities. Thea said that an investigation is underway, and he believes that more pedophiles active in Cambodia will be arrested. MUSOMELLI