KUALA LUMPUR: At least 31 Philippines women were found at a condominium in Malaysia on Thursday in what is the latest crackdown on the illegal sex trade in the country. The Malaysian Immigration Department said that the women were rescued from their situation on Thursday in a raid. Police became aware of the facility after receiving a tip from a local source. According to the Immigration Department Director Mohd Zamberi Abdul Aziz, the women were kept in two residential units and monitored by human trafficking syndicate members via camera. Every day, the women would be taken out to work at nightclubs around the Klang Valley and after that, they would be sent back to the residence, he said. It is the latest crackdown on the illegal sex trade in Malayisa. Last week, a group of Chinese women were rescued after another tip was given to police that they were being forced into working as sex workers in the country. Selangor Vice, Gaming and Secret Societies Division (D7) chief DSP Rohan Shah Ahmad said the late evening raid, discovered the women, aged between 22- and 26-years-old, were detained for “misusing their social visit passes." Police also detained a 25-year-old local man, believed to be the caretaker of the premise, and seized several packages of condoms, birth control pills, RM270 in cash and a customer record book. Ahmad said police surveillance found that the activity had taken place in one of the condominium units over the past two months. “Two closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras were installed at the elevator and the entrance of the unit to enable the caretaker to monitor the presence of their clients and the authorities," he told reporters after the operation which ended at around midnight. It is unclear what will happen to the women, or if the Malaysian man arrested will be charged with human trafficking. It comes one week after Malaysia police raided another sex trafficking and theft gang in the country, which saw a 13-year-old girl among the detained sex workers. Police Deputy Chief M Chandra said in a statement that the sex workers, the oldest of whom is only 20-years-old, were arrested “while waiting for customers along the back alleys of Kampung Air near the city's downtown area." Chandra added that the sex workers also participated in a gang of thieves, known locally as “ting-ting," and would assist in luring clients to a specially modified room after offering their services for between RM30 and RM50. They have been reported to have stolen wallets and other valuables from the men. “Suddenly, the girl would then pretend to get a call warning that police were coming to raid the place, causing the client to abruptly leave the room without realizing that he had been robbed," he said. All the arrested girls have been detained while an investigation takes place. The arrests have once again highlighted the ongoing struggle in Malaysia over sex trafficking and underage sex workers, which women's advocates say needs more police attention and new legislation from the government to crackdown on the illegal trade in sex. Police have repeatedly told Bikyamasr.com that they are pushing forward on cracking down on sex work in the country, but are struggling with limited resources and a rise in the number of young women entering the country illegally to work in the industry. “It is difficult to find the sources of these women and the people responsible for forcing them into this industry," one police source said on condition of anonymity. “But we are finding more and more evidence that this is a nationwide phenomenon that can be tackled with the proper resources and tackling the problem at the root. The people who participate in buying women are the main problem in Malaysia and we must campaign to stop this," the source said. In recent months, dozens of young women, often girls, from Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines have been detained and given medical and psychiatric treatment by the government here after being removed from their situation, officials said.
