By Bernadette H. Carreon
Horizon news staff

Associate Justice Kathleen Salii has denied the motion of one of the defendants in the ongoing people trafficking case.
Defendant Teng Feng Chiang earlier filed a notice of withdrawal of counsel and motion to continue trial.
Judge Salii however denied the motion saying that "defendant’s request to be severed from the remaining defendants and to be tried separately at a later date is also without merit, where the witnesses and evidence presented for each defendant will be the same."
The order said that Chang’s motion, "coming five days before trial is set to commence to continue a trial date which was continued at the defense request, is absolutely bare of any details of any conflict in continuing to be represented by his current counsel. For this reason alone, the motion is denied."
Salii in her two page order said that she agrees with the government prosecutor that to set two trials would result in unnecessary effort and expense "and will in all likelihood increase stress on the victims in this action."
Teng Feng Chiang is one of the six individuals facing a total of 64 counts of criminal complaints that include people trafficking for allegedly forcing former employees of Carnival Restaurant and Karaoke into prostitution.