Phnom Penh, June 17 (IANS): Cambodian police have arrested a French national, Bernard Louis Francois, 55, on suspicion of sexually abusing 13 underaged boys, the National Police's website reported on Wednesday.

The suspect was arrested on Monday in southern Kandal province following complaints by the parents of two victims, the website said, citing Lt. Col. Lao Lin, chief of the Juvenile Protection Bureau of the National Police's Anti-Human Trafficking and Juvenile Protection Department.

"After we arrested the suspect, parents of 11 other boys in Koh Khel village in Kandal province filed complaints to the police, accusing the man of sexually abusing their children as well," he was quoted as saying, adding that the victims were aged between 7 and 13 years old.

He said the suspect will be sent to the provincial court for official charges on Thursday, Xinhua news agency reported.

Cambodia launched an anti-paedophilia operation in 2003 in a bid to end its reputation as a haven for child sex offenders. Since then, dozens of foreigners have been imprisoned for child sex crimes.