Groups of gangsters in the eastern Sarawak state on Borneo island are holding women from the Philippines, Indonesia and China as prostitutes for foreign labourers working at the massive Bakun hydroelectric dam construction site in the state, said the Star paper.
Malaysian police are tracking down the masterminds of a suspected syndicate using foreign women as sex slaves after receiving text messages from the women who are allegedly being held against their will. One of the women, who obtained the mobile number of a reporter from the English daily, began sending cries for help via several short message service (SMS) which were then sent to police. Following surveillance, police launched a raid last week, resulting in the arrest of a local pimp and 10 women from Indonesia, the Philippines and China.
