KOTA KINABALU, Malaysia: Many foreign women caught for prostitution in Sabah were not forced into it by others and could not be charged under anti-human trafficking laws.

Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Noor Rashid Ibrahim said some opted to earn an income from vice to support their children after their husbands had left them.

Police arrested 1,107 people - mostly Filipino, Indonesian and Thai nationals - following raids on 828 suspected prostitution dens, entertainment centres and massage centres between January and March 2009.

"When we questioned them, none of them told us that they are being exploited by certain groups," Noor Rashid said.

Those arrested were charged under immigration laws for illegally staying in the state or for contravening conditions of their visit permits.