VZCZCXRO2233
OO RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHPF #1406/01 2190849
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 070849Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY PHNOM PENH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7113
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 2392
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 0590
RUEHIN/AIT TAIPEI 0189

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 
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