A 21-YEAR-OLD man was reportedly detained and tortured at a casino near the Thai-Cambodian border for three days last week after being accused of luring guests to competing establishments.

Chhoeun Chhan, 44, of Banteay Meanchey province, said his 21-year-old son was detained by a Thai security guard from AR-Set company at the Golden Crown casino in Poipet town. He claimed his son, Chhoeun Chanthy, was brutally beaten during his detention.

“The Thai security guard tortured my son by handcuffing him and beating him with a plastic pipe,” Chhoeun Chhan said yesterday. “He detained my son for three days and did not give him any food.”

Horm Muth, military police commander for Poipet town, said he knew of the case but had not intervened because the case had been settled out of court.

“The victim agreed to accept compensation and [to] not file a complaint.... so we can’t do anything,” he said.

Chhoeun Chhan said his son, an AR-Set employee who handled sports betting, had accepted 7,000 baht (US$233) from the suspect and had been treated at a local hospital.

“I do not dare file a complaint,” he said. “I do not dare to confront those people because they are rich and powerful.”

Casino representatives could not be reached yesterday.