Source: IOL.co.za
CAMBODIA – PHNOM PENH – Phnom Penh was up in arms about a published report on Thursday about a US investor who set up a pornography website in Cambodia that promotes rape and bondage.
The English-language Cambodia Daily newspaper ran a front-page story about the “Rape Cage” website, which promotes a theme of “bondage, discipline and humiliation” of “Asian sex slaves”.
The site, established in Cambodia by American businessman Dan Sandler, displays pornographic photos of naked Vietnamese women doing sexual acts, often blindfolded or tied up with rope.
He wants to later transmit live bondage sex shows from Cambodia on the website, allowing pay-per-view customers to email requests, which will be carried out seconds later.
There are growing fears that the website will affect Cambodia’s already-high domestic violence rate, prompt other pornographers to come to Cambodia and exploit the population, and ruin the government’s hands-off policy concerning the Internet.
“This is a move in the wrong direction,” Bill Herrod, an American aid worker who played a major role in bringing the Internet to Cambodia, told The Cambodia Daily.
“Here we are at a time when there is a growing civil society, a serious problem with domestic violence, and we’re at the point of discussing legalisation of prostitution as a way of controlling and protecting the rights of women,” he said, “and now we’ve got somebody from outside Cambodia trying to introduce a new method of exploitation.”
Government officials appeared to agree and have discussed banning the website, based on constitutional law regarding Cambodian culture.
However, there are fears that the government may go further and consider draconian legislation to monitor and censor the Internet, like countries such as China and Singapore.
Sandler was unapologetic to the newspaper and said he was merely helping Cambodia get a slice of what is already a multi-million-dollar business in the US and other countries.
The businessman was also unconcerned about the criticism from non-governmental organisations about ruining Cambodian culture and society.
“I have nothing against women here and it’s not being marketed to this community,” Sandler told the newspaper. “It might promote violence against women in the United States, but I say ‘good’. I hate those bitches, they’re out of line and that’s one of the reasons I want to do this.
“I’m going through a divorce right now,” he added. “I hate American women.” – Sapa-DPA
