Abusive massage-parlor owner gets 12 years
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Ho Chi Minh City People's Court on Thursday sentenced a massage parlor owner accused of enslaving his women employees to 12 years imprisonment.
Phan Cao Tri, 38, who owns five massage parlors, was charged with “illegally detaining people” and “appropriating properties.”
His employees Phan Viet Hau and Phan Quoc Cuong - the directors of two of the five parlors - got 10 and 9 years respectively with similar charges.
A jail term of 6 years was delivered to Phan Thi Yen, Tri’s wife, who was charged with “appropriating properties.”
Nguyen Minh Phuong and Nguyen Hoai Nhanh, the manager and deputy manager of one of the five parlors, were sentenced to 3 and 2 years respectively for “illegally detaining people.”
Following complaints from women employees, the police raided Tri’s main parlor, Tan Hoang Phat in Thu Duc District, in December 2008 and rescued 65 women.
They also confiscated two pistols and seven bullets Tri allegedly used to threaten the women.
According to the police, Tri was recruiting women as masseuses for his five parlors in HCMC and the neighboring provinces of Dong Nai and Binh Duong since 2005.
He allegedly had guards to keep a watch on them to prevent them from escaping.
The women, many from poor rural areas, were forced to do not only massage but also sexual acts on customers for up to 16 hours a day.
Anyone who wanted to quit had to pay VND15 million (US$ 770). Some who could not afford the money attempted to run away but were captured and beaten.
Anyone refusing to follow orders or about whom a customer complained would be beaten up or locked up without food in dog cages.
The police said nine women had paid VND169 million to flee the parlor.
