Two local men who established a popular online prostitutes' directory were given suspended jail terms and fined HK$100,000 ($22,000) for conspiring to live off the earnings of prostitution.
An article in the Asian Sex Gazette reported that Cheung Ming-man and Chan Sai-Ngan were found guilty of one count each of conspiracy to live off the earnings of prostitution arising from ads that appeared on their Web site.
While prostitution is not against the law in Hong Kong, it is illegal to use signs to advertise it or for third parties to benefit from prostitution.
The article noted that this is the first time the publishers of advertisements for prostitution have been prosecuted, and may affect others who sell advertising space.
Associate professor Simon Young from Hong Kong University told the Asian Sex Gazette that the conviction highlights a deficiency in the laws surrounding prostitution. The law under which the men were prosecuted was meant to protect women from pimps. But the two men could be viewed as businessmen who offered a service to prostitutes for a fee. Young said, “This offence was never meant to capture genuine business transactions.”
