Prostitution crackdown was planned, will continue

The recent crackdown on prostitution in Dongguan, Guangdong province, was planned and will continue, officials said.

"We were planning to crack down on the problem of prostitution this year but after China Central Television (CCTV) aired the stories [exposing prostitution], we moved our planned campaign ahead of time," Hu Chunhua, Party secretary of Guangdong province, said at a group discussion during the National People's Congress Wednesday.

On February 9, CCTV aired a series of investigative reports exposing prostitution and the sex industry in clubs, saunas, karaoke parlors and other venues in the southern city that had long had the reputation of being the "sex capital" of China. Local authorities have since sent thousands of police to clean up venues suspected of prostitution.

Between February 9 and 28, the special campaign found 3,184 venues that violated regulations, among which 2,147 were in Dongguan, said Hu.

The crackdown mainly focused on the organizers, managers and benefactors of such venues. So far 363 suspects have been detained in Guangdong, among which 141 were detained in Dongguan, according to Hu. "The government has certain responsibilities," said Hu. After the news broke, Yan Xiaokang, chief of the Public Security Bureau in Dongguan, who was also a deputy mayor, was deposed. Another 29 cadres in the city were also punished.

Hu said the authorities would continue investigating cases and deal with them according to the law. "We will continue with comprehensive measures to make sure it won't come back," he said.

Yuan Baocheng, mayor of Dongguan, avoided media questions regarding prostitution in the city, replacing only with a smile.

Hu said the provincial government successfully cracked down on narcotics last year and it was their plan to come down on prostitution this year.

According to a rough calculation by people.com.cn released in late February, over 700 suspects were detained by police in eight regions.