THE owner and two managers of a karaoke bar in Siem Reap province that was raided by police last week have been charged in provincial court with aggravated procurement of prostitution, court prosecutor Nuon San told the Post Thursday.

Police arrested the three suspects, who were charged Tuesday, during a raid Saturday at the C-Star Karaoke Club in which they also rounded up 27 Vietnamese and 15 Cambodian female staffers.

Nuon San said the 42 women had not been receiving salaries, meaning their only earnings came when they flirted or slept with customers.

Nevertheless, he said, the staffers had supported their bosses, which made the case difficult to investigate.

"It took several months of investigation before we could launch a raid on the club," he said. "But we knew from customers and from other people that the staffers were having sex with customers, which has severely impacted our country's culture and reputation."

The women were briefly held at provincial police headquarters before being sent to the Department of Social Affairs, which sent them to NGOs or vocational training centres.

Nuon San identified the Korean club owner as Jeong Jong-jin, 52, but he declined to identify the two Vietnamese managers.

He said they face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.