A government official yesterday refuted Thai media reports of a Cambodian beggar whose tongue had been cut, saying investigations had found this to not be the case.

Referring to the case of an 11-year-old boy forced to beg in Pattaya, Ten Borany, deputy director of the anti-human trafficking and juvenile protection department at the Ministry of Interior, said Cambodian anti-trafficking police  found the boy had been mistreated but not mutilated, and was residing at a social affairs centre in Thailand after being rescued.

Thai news media recently carried reports of other Cambodian victims who had been rescued from similar scenarios.

Ten Borany, however, said cases of tongue-cuttings were extremely rare.

Cambodia’s anti-trafficking police would also investigate a report that 16 Cambodian beggars had been arrested in Pattaya after tourists complained, he said.

According to him, Cambodian police had not received any notification of the repatriation of the beggars.

To contact the reporter on this story: Sen David at [email protected]