New video has surfaced showing 10 Westerners, including a young Alberta woman and another Canadian, standing grim-faced in front of a camera while one of them apologizes after they were arrested for being found “dancing pornographically” in Cambodia last Thursday.
“I’ve lived here two years,” a young man with a British accent is heard saying on the undated video, which was published by the Associated Press on Wednesday. “I respect the culture. I help Cambodian children, I help Cambodian families.
“It’s just one mistake…. I’m sorry.”
The man speaking in the video is seen standing among seven other detained men from the U.K., Norway, the Netherlands and New Zealand, along with Canadians Eden Kazoleas, 20, and Jessica Drolet, 25. Kazoleas is from Drayton Valley, Alta.
READ MORE: Alberta woman charged with producing pornographic photos in Cambodia
Watch below: One of two Canadian women arrested while vacationing in Cambodia has been identified as a 20-year-old woman from Drayton Valley.
The detainees were arrested after allegedly posting sexually suggestive photos to social media in contravention of local laws. According to a lawyer, if convicted and depending on what charges, they could face up to a year in jail. One of the detainees’ lawyers has argued if they are found guilty, they should just be kicked out of the country and not sent to prison.
Last Thursday, police raided a party in the town of Siem Reap where people were found to be dancing suggestively at a pub crawl. The town is situated near the Angkor Wat temple complex.
Global Affairs Canada has said it is offering consular services to Kazoleas and Drolet.
One of the detainees’ lawyers said they visited the group on Tuesday and found all 10 to be in good health and said they were being held in acceptable conditions. The lawyer said the group told him they did nothing wrong.
“We don’t know why we’re here,” a young detainee with a shaved head and in a white T-shirt can be heard saying in the video that emerged Wednesday.
One of the detainees’ lawyers said some of the photos posted by his clients show people drinking by a swimming pool and women wearing bikinis. However, he said none of the images depicted sex acts or nudity.
READ MORE: 2 Canadians arrested for ‘dancing pornographically’ in Cambodia
“I admit that they have done something wrong according to morality in Cambodian society, but their crimes did not warrant them being charged or put in jail,” Sourng Sophea said.
As of Wednesday, none of the detainees had been charged.
-With files from The Associated Press and The Canadian Press
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