Ten men broke into a shelter in Phnom Penh on July 24 and took back four women recently

rescued in a raid on a massage and karaoke parlor, local media reported.

The counter-raid on the Center for the Protection of Children's Rights followed a

raid of Vimean Kam Sann club in Phnom Penh on July 18, which resulted in seven women

being sent to the shelter.

All of the women were over 18 years old. Two 25-year-olds who left the shelter are

believed to have accompanied the counter-raid.

The men involved were armed with knives and stones. They reportedly held a knife

to the throat of a security guard during the incident.

The recent raid and counter-raid is reminiscent of the Chai Hour 2 bust in December,

which sparked an international outcry.

The counter-raid comes as the United States considers imposing sanctions on Cambodia

for its lack of progress on human trafficking, after dropping the country to Tier

3 on its global ranking system.