Sex industry

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Description: "MONGLA, Myanmar: Bentleys and BMW convertibles roll up to the "Venetian Casino" in Mongla on the Myanmar-China border, a melting pot of sex, drugs and gambling on a frontier that has also become a "supermarket" for illegally traded wildlife. This area of Myanmar is largely self-governed -- lying within the country's borders but playing by its own rules, nestled in the eastern range of mountains and cut off from the rest of the country. Instead, the region looks to China. The yuan is the currency of choice, most people speak Mandarin and phones connect to Chinese, not Myanmar, networks. It is also the insatiable Chinese demand for illegal wildlife products that is driving the booming trade in Panghsang, a reclusive city to the north of Mongla in territory controlled by the ethnic Wa. Tiger and leopard pelts are piled up in full view at streetside shops also displaying ivory, pangolin scales and stacked cages of rare birds. Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) conservation director Nick Cox says the open sale of the illegal products is a problem "not just for Myanmar but for the region", calling it a "wildlife supermarket". As night descends on the quiet streets of Panghsang, pockets of pink light illuminate the gloom -- emitted from the countless Chinese-branded massage parlours dotting the roads..."
Source/publisher: "Bangkok Post" (Thailand) via AFP (France)
2019-04-26
Date of entry/update: 2019-09-22
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Description: Rangoon girls swap the sweatshop for a hands-on job... "Owners of karaoke bars in Burma these days really have something to sing about. While other business sectors flounder in Burma?s moribund economy, most karaoke joints—known as KTV—are humming, their cash registers are playing sweet music. On a typical night in downtown Rangoon, the Royal is crowded with men looking for more than a song and with young women whose talents anyway couldn?t be described as vocal...Linn Linn, a 31-year-old widow with two children to support, has worked at several karaoke clubs, one of which, she says, was owned by a senior police officer and five businessmen. Club owners often invite government officials along for some ?relaxation,? she claims. Linn Linn worked in a Rangoon brothel until a 2002 police crackdown on prostitution. Since then she has been employed by a string of karaoke bars, conceding that sex as well as songs are on the menu. About 50 karaoke girls were arrested in a second police crackdown, in 2003, on nightclubs suspected of doubling as brothels. Linn Linn escaped arrest, but she admits it might be only a matter of time before the next police raid puts her out of work. ?What else can I do?? she says. ?I have two children to support. Everything is so expensive now and the cost of living just rises and rises. I?ve no other way to make money other than continue in the karaoke trade.?..."
Creator/author: Ko Jay
Source/publisher: "The Irrawaddy" Vol. 13, No. 5
2005-05-00
Date of entry/update: 2006-04-27
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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