COLOMBO: A former Maldives minister and several politicians from Sri Lanka's ruling party were among dozens of people arrested after a child sex racket was busted, police said in Colombo Monday (Tuesday in Manila). Sri Lanka Police said two websites were used to sell underage girls for sex, adding they found the phone records of at least one 15-year-old who was allegedly repeatedly raped. The owners of the two websites, as well as the Maldives' former state minister for finance and treasury, Mohamed Ashmalee, were detained. Others arrested included a ruling party politician in Sri Lanka's north-central region, a Buddhist monk, a prominent gem dealer and a merchant navy captain. Sri Lanka introduced tough child protection laws in 1995 after reports of widespread sexual exploitation of minors, particularly in tourist resort regions.

Source: Manila Times July 06, 2021 17:26 UTC