Malaysian man charged with trafficking Thai women for vice

Ee Chin Kai, 33, became the first person to be charged under the newly-gazetted Anti-Human Trafficking Act when he was brought to a session's court in the southern state of Johor on Monday.

Ee pleaded not guilty to the charges of luring the two women, aged 27, into the country and then forcing them to work as prostitutes out of a house, the New Straits Times daily said.

The report said he was also alleged to have collected and kept the women's earnings, adding that the two alleged victims have been sent to a holding centre to await the trial scheduled for September 17.

If found guilty, Ee faces a 15-year jail term.

Formerly, victims of trafficking were kept in detention centres for illegal migrants where they were given little care.

The new act, which was gazetted in May 2007, would now enable authorities to arrest, prosecute and convict offenders and provide support for victims, who would be sheltered in "places of refuge", the report said.//DPA - May 13, 2008