PREAH Sihanouk provincial court has ordered three people to serve pretrial detention on prostitution-related charges following the raid of a guesthouse and night club in Mittapheap district, court officials said Sunday.

Prosecutor Bou Bunhang said Reach Kinarin, the owner of the guesthouse, along with his wife and a “superviser”, neither of whom he could name, had been charged with procurement of prostitution, aggravated procurement of prostitution and provision of a premises for prostitution under the Law on the Suppression of Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation.

“All of these charges were just only preliminary charges pending further investigation,” Bou Bunhang said. “They all are now serving pre-trial detention behind bars.”

Procurement of prostitution and a provision of premises for prostitution both carry sentences of between two and five years, and aggravated procurement of prostitution carries a sentence of between five and 10 years.

Provincial military police chief Heang Nin said the raid of the BIBA guesthouse, located in Commune III, took place Thursday night, and that nearly 50 people, including 29 suspected prostitutes, had been interrogated at the provincial military police station.

“The guests who were not involved were released the next day, and the prostitute girls were sent to the Social Affairs Department for education,” he said.