DONGGUAN, China, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- A crackdown on the sex trade of Dongguan, China, is under way with the closure of 12 entertainment venues, the city's municipal police security bureau reported.
Late Sunday more than 6,700 police officers swept into the city of 8 million in southern China to investigate reports of prostitution in saunas, hotels, massage parlors and karaoke bars. The raid came hours after a program, claiming sex services were available in Dongguan hotels, was broadcast on national television, the official Chinese news agency Xinhua reported Monday, adding 67 people were placed under investigation.
Crackdowns such as this have occurred in the entertainment and casino city of Dongguan three times in the past decade, university sociology lecturer Dr. Ding Yu said.
Footage shot by television reporters showed hotel managers were not worried about the police when offering sex services, Xinhua said.
One manager said no police would be involved.
"Otherwise," he said, "we would have been out of business a long time ago."
