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SCMP Reporter

THE discovery of a vast collection of photos of naked Thai prostitutes in the hotel room of a Hong Kong man has stumped local police.

 'We've never seen anything quite like this before,' said one police source in the raucous beach resort of Pattaya.

 'We may be looking at some sort of porn racket but we are not yet sure.

 'Our investigations are still continuing and we are not yet fully sure what has been going on.'  Retired grammar school teacher Li Kwok-chak, 61, was arrested on Tuesday in a suite of the Royal Century Hotel surrounded by boxes containing more than 5,000 photographs and negatives of local massage parlour workers.

 Each one had been numbered and logged with a time and date.

 The women have all been photographed from the front and side standing upright prompting Li to claim that they were taken merely for his personal 'entertainment'.

 'They are like pictures in medical text-books. I like them a lot but nobody else would be interested,' Li said, insisting he had not broken any Thai laws.

 'There is no evidence that I have sold them . . . besides, who would possibly buy them?  'They would look very boring in magazines.'  Li is battling to clear his name, saying that the raids could ruin his reputation and put his retirement plans at risk.

 After being freed on bail while investigations continue, Li said he had built up his collection after retiring from Hong Kong more than three years ago.

 With no wife or children, Li insists he wants to remain in Pattaya taking his pictures in his hotel room.

 'I like these young women very much,' he said.

 'I realise some people may think this is strange but to me it is normal.

 'I don't believe I have hurt anyone.

 'I would never sell my albums or let anyone else even look at them.'  Police were alerted by a prostitute who said she refused to be photographed when she visited Li's room for the first time.

 Century staff confirmed Li had been in the hotel for several years, describing him a quiet man who had a lot of young women visiting him. Some staff were aware of his collection.

 His arrest comes amid concerns in Thailand over the treatment of Thai women in Hong Kong.

 A top actress has recently forced a Kowloon sauna to remove a billboard featuring her image, while Thai tourists have complained of undue harassment by immigration department officials.



Naked pictures collector stumps police