Police in Sihanoukville arrested 13 Chinese nationals on Tuesday after some of the men allegedly started a brawl when they were refused sex services at a local massage parlour.

Ouk Phannarith, Sihanoukville’s deputy judicial police chief, said a group of seven Chinese men visited a massage parlour in Commune 2 seeking sex services, only to be rejected by the staff there.

“They were looking for sex services, but the massage shop did not provide them. The Chinese people did not know that . . . so they just tried to force the women.

“They threatened the masseuses and hit the owner’s head, so they shouted for help. The people living in the neighbourhood came and clashed with the Chinese people. When the people arrived, the Chinese people flung chairs, leading to a fight,” he said.

According to Commune 2 Police Chief Luy Hang, six more Chinese arrived at the scene shortly after the fight broke out.

“When the problem happened, they phoned to ask their mates to come. Then six more [Chinese] arrived in a car.

When they arrived, they grabbed wooden sticks that were nearby and fought with the people,” he said. “They were about to hit the police” who arrived at the scene.

“[So] the police shot six times into the air to calm the situation down and arrested them,” Hang said, adding that the 13 Chinese nationals were still under interrogation.