SINGAPORE TIP UPDATE: ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L SINGAPORE 000820 SIPDIS STATE FOR AID E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/16/2015 TAGS: KCRM PHUM KWMN ELAB SMIG ASEC KFRD PREF SN SUBJECT: SINGAPORE TIP UPDATE: ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON TRAFFICKING AND VICE-RELATED ISSUES REF: A. SINGAPORE 744 ¶B. SINGAPORE 743 ¶C. SINGAPORE 742 ¶D. SINGAPORE 740 ¶E. SINGAPORE 657 ¶F. 04 STATE 273089 Classified By: Economic and Political Counselor Laurent Charbonnet for reasons 1.4 (b) ¶1. (C) On March 16, the Singapore Ministry of Home Affairs provided us with full-year 2004 numbers on detentions, arrests, and prosecutions for offenses related to sex-trafficking, as well as additional information on Singapore's law enforcement efforts. Please note that the MHA provided this information to us in confidence, with the explicit request that it not be disseminated or used publicly. Thus we have classified it under E.O. 12958 for reason 1.4(b). Embassy has included references to the relevant questions in the 2005 TIP report questionnaire; this information supplements or substitutes for information in Embassy's 2005 TIP submission (refs A, B, C, and D). ¶2. (C) (Ref F, para 18) In 2004, Singapore authorities detained 5,239 foreign sex workers. Of these, 35 (0.7 percent of the total) were between the ages of 16 and 18, and three were below 16. Six of the 35 "underage" prostitutes were determined to have vice operators facilitating their activities, which is an offense in Singapore. When there is reason to suspect that a sex worker is younger than the age indicated in her passport, police will send her for a medical examination to determine her biological age. The country of origin for sex workers was as follows: People's Republic of China 45 percent, Indonesia 22 percent, Thailand 13 percent, Vietnam 6 percent, Sri Lanka 5 percent, Philippines 5 percent, India 3 percent, other 1 percent. Of the girls between 16 and 18 years of age, 12 were Chinese, eight were Thai, five were Vietnamese, four were Indonesian, four were Sri Lankan, one was Malaysian and one was Uzbekistani. The three girls under 16 were from China, Thailand, and Indonesia. Police report that only one of the women detained for prostitution in 2004 was not able to produce her documents (passport, student pass, or work permit) when requested, indicating that pimps or others are not holding passports as a means of control. ¶3. (C) (Ref F, para 20) There were 16 cases in which women alleged they were induced by force, fraud, or coercion to engage in prostitution; Singapore authorities were able to substantiate two of these cases, and prosecuted the vice abettors under section 140(1)(c) of the Women's Charter (inducing a woman or girl to have carnal connection through threats or intimidation). The GOS prosecuted one Sri Lankan woman under section 142(a) of the Women's Charter (bringing a woman into or out of Singapore through fraudulent or deceitful means with the intent that she shall be employed for prostitution). She was sentenced to 8 months in prison. ¶4. (U) (Ref F, para 21) In 2004, Singapore did not prosecute any women for offenses related to prostitution. A small number of the women detained for prostitution were prosecuted for immigration offenses. ¶5. (C) (Ref F, para 20H) Singapore authorities work with foreign counterparts to combat trafficking through Interpol. For example, Hong Kong and Singapore have shared intelligence on PRC sex workers, and the Hong Kong police provided Singapore with their training video on syndicated vice. Singapore police have also worked with PRC police to exchange information on Chinese vice syndicates. ¶6. (U) (Ref F, para 20L) Organizing or arranging sex tours with minors overseas is an offense in Singapore, and when necessary prosecutors can seek heavy sentences. No such cases were prosecuted in 2004. LAVIN