Italian Police Arrest Five In Thai Child-porn Raids

[sriracha john]

Italian police arrest four in child-porn raids: reports

ROME — Italian police have reportedly arrested four people and placed 110 more under investigation in a crackdown on an Internet child pornography ring involving Thai youngsters.

The ANSA news agency reports that dozens of raids were carried out today across the country in an operation targeting Italian suspects.

ANSA says among those arrested was a 55-year-old university professor who had just got off a plane from Bangkok.

It says police seized videos the man allegedly shot while in Thailand.

Prosecutors in Siracusa, Sicily, who launched the investigation, are co-operating with Thai authorities to identify the children involved.

- Associated Press

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There is a lengthier article (in Italian) on the ANSA (Italian News Agency) website.

I've tried two different online translators and both times it just comes out gibberish. About the only thing I could make out of it was that five people have been arrested, hence the disparity with the AP story above and the thread title.

If any thaivisa members literate in Italian could help provide the details of the article it would be most appreciated. The article is located here:

http://www.ansa.it/opencms/export/site/vis...l_12506725.html

[giruz]

OK, don't have time to translate the whole piece.

It says that the there have been 5 arrests plus another man is held without charges.The people have been found with thousands of movies & pics showing child abuses.

One of the arrested is the 'star' of some of the movies. He is having sex with at least 8 different children also the movies has been shot with 4 cameras. There are about 200 movies each with a length of 180 mins and were ready to be published on Internet.

The people arrested have been caught while exchanging pics, they are a 62 yo man, a 34yo and three 50yo.

The man held without charges is a 55yo University Lecturer that has been stopped while entering Italy after a trip to Thailand. He was carrying movies with child abuses and is he seems to be participate in one of them.

(cut)

There have been raids in different regions which include: Sicily (16), Campania, Tuscany (12 each), Lombardia and Emilia Romagna (11 each), Veneto (9), Liguria (6), Friuli and Calabria (5) (and so on...for the others).

Police investigations started after Telecono Arcobaleno reported the internet trade (note: telefono arcobaleno is a well know NGO against child abuses). The article finishes with the director of this NGO highlighting the links between sex tourism and child molester.

g.

[sriracha john]

Thank you very much for your help, giruz...

[kat]

Thanks for the translation and the article. I'm sure this thread will die a rapid death since no one can come on here and bellow how it is all sensationalist oversell by vindictive journalists.

[dumspero]

Kat- sorry, I'm not following your post. Care to explain? Are you saying that alleged child porn isn't newsorthy, or that the reporting is somehow overdrawn? I don't get your point.

[kat]

No, my remark was sarcastic. I'm sorry if it was confusing. I was commenting on a common and widespread reaction to articles like this one on TV.

[dumspero]

oops, a little slow on the uptake on my part... Cheers.

[sriracha john]

Police arrest 5, carry out raids across Italy in child porn crackdown

ROME - Italian paramilitary police arrested five people Tuesday and placed 110 more under investigation in a crackdown on an Internet child pornography ring involving European and Thai youngsters.

Carabinieri police in Siracusa, Sicily, where the investigation began, said dozens of raids were being carried out across the country in an operation targeting Italians accused of criminal association aimed at sharing child pornography.

Raids turned up dozens of videos of children aged 3 to 12 being sexually abused, Carabinieri official Domenico Di Somma said.

Among those arrested, Di Somma said, was a 55-year-old university professor who had just disembarked from a plane coming from Bangkok, Thailand, at Rome's Leonardo da Vinci airport. Police seized videos the man allegedly shot in Thailand, he said.

Prosecutors in Siracusa were cooperating with Interpol and Thai authorities to identify the children involved, Di Somma said.

- Associated Press

[Tony Clifton]

What about these children's parents and the local rings that make the children available for these scumbags? It's always about the foreigners getting caught but the business stays open at this end and they still walk free.

[mellow1]

What about these children's parents and the local rings that make the children available for these scumbags? It's always about the foreigners getting caught but the business stays open at this end and they still walk free.

Its the double standard which is quite acceptable here. Thais can be justified in all things, Farang always bad guy no matter what.

Not sticking up for this kind of thing, all should be prosecuted. Even more so for the parents and others who provide these children.

But that won't happen, only get the Farangs.