Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07DILI14
2007-01-16 11:23:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Dili
Cable title:  

SUSPECTED INTERNATIONAL HUMAN TRAFFICKERS DETAINED

Tags:  PHUM KJUS KPKO KCRM ASEC UN SY NI LE TT 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO8531
PP RUEHPB
DE RUEHDT #0014/01 0161123
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P R 161123Z JAN 07
FM AMEMBASSY DILI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3207
INFO RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUCNARF/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE
RUEHLI/AMEMBASSY LISBON 0749
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 0847
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 0687
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0782
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 0609
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0575
RUEHDT/AMEMBASSY DILI 2547
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 DILI 000014 

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/MTS, DS/ICI/PF, DS/ICI/DR, INL/G/TIP
USUN FOR RICHARD MCCURRY
PACOM FOR JOC AND POLAD
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 1/16/2017
TAGS: PHUM KJUS KPKO KCRM ASEC UN SY NI LE TT
SUBJECT: SUSPECTED INTERNATIONAL HUMAN TRAFFICKERS DETAINED

DILI 00000014 001.2 OF 003


CLASSIFIED BY: Elizabeth S. Wharton, Political/Economic Officer,
U.S. Embassy Dili, Department of State.
REASON: 1.4 (d)

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 DILI 000014

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/MTS, DS/ICI/PF, DS/ICI/DR, INL/G/TIP
USUN FOR RICHARD MCCURRY
PACOM FOR JOC AND POLAD
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 1/16/2017
TAGS: PHUM KJUS KPKO KCRM ASEC UN SY NI LE TT
SUBJECT: SUSPECTED INTERNATIONAL HUMAN TRAFFICKERS DETAINED

DILI 00000014 001.2 OF 003


CLASSIFIED BY: Elizabeth S. Wharton, Political/Economic Officer,
U.S. Embassy Dili, Department of State.
REASON: 1.4 (d)


1. (C) Summary: UNPOL has arrested a Nigerian and a Lebanese
national in Dili suspected of involvement in an apparent attempt
to traffic young Timorese women to Syria, possibly for
prostitution. The Nigerian detainee, found in possession of a
large number of fraudulent documents, is confirmed to be the
same individual who submitted a fraudulent US passport to the
Indonesian Embassy in September. The arrests follow a several
month period in which dozens of young Timorese women were
approached with offers of domestic jobs in Syria and some taken
for HIV/AIDS tests. While there is an outstanding report of one
woman already having traveled, the remaining women eventually
elected to not pursue the offers. Nonetheless, the emergence of
this case points to potential vulnerabilities to trafficking
risks in East Timor, which up until now has been identified as
primarily at risk as a destination country. End summary.


2. (C) UNPOL has for the last couple months been carrying out an
investigation into allegations of an international human
trafficking scheme operating in East Timor in which young
Timorese women have been offered domestic jobs in Syria, but
were likely to be instead forced into prostitution. Within the
last couple weeks, UNPOL detained a Nigerian national believed
to have been involved, as well as his partner, a middle aged
Lebanese national. (The Lebanese man is likely the man known as
Hatom and alternately identified as Malaysian or Syrian below.)
Emboff recently spoke to the head of the national Vulnerable
Persons Unit, Antonio Domingues who reported that the Nigerian
national was arrested with multiple fraudulent identity
documents. A UN situation report notes that these included South

African and Mexican passports, a UN ID and a UN international
driving permit. The situation report also reports a UNPOL raid
on a guest house in Dili where the suspect had been staying,
resulting in the seizure of 16 passports, computer materials,
compact disks, and documents. UNPOL believes he made the
fraudulent documents himself. The Lebanese national, arrested
during this raid, was not carrying any false documents but is
being held on the basis of providing false statements. According
to Domingues, they were recruiting young women for overseas work
via the Lebanese national's NGO. UNPOL suspects that the women
were to be forced into prostitution but currently has
insufficient evidence of this so is focusing on supporting
prosecutions based on fraud and false statements. Domingues is
currently under instructions to go solely through Interpol to
gather potential additional information on the suspects and was
not able to provide names or other identifying information,
although he noted that the Lebanese national was middle aged,
probably in his 50s. Additionally, Domingues stated that he was
not aware of any Timorese who had in fact gone to Syria.


3. (C) Domingues was able to confirm that the Nigerian in
detention, who was arrested as Dexter Dibo but whose real name
is not known to us, is the same man who presented a fraudulent
US passport to the Indonesian Embassy in September. On September
20, 2006 the Immigration Attache at the Indonesian Embassy
contacted Emboff regarding a suspicious US passport that had
been submitted with an application for an Indonesian visa. The
name on the passport was: Rondilli, Thomson Milo, DOB: 06 Oct
1974, passport no. 134507611. After obtaining the passport in
question, we relayed a scan of the bio page to Conoffs in
Jakarta who concluded that the passport was fraudulent. In
addition to telltale signs on the bio page, a search of US
passport records revealed that there was no passport issued
under the name and passport number. Emboff in Dili then conveyed
to the Indonesian Embassy that no such valid passport existed
and that we would retain the fraudulent document. The Indonesian
Embassy was requested to refer the individual to the US Embassy.
He made one phone call to Emboff's mobile phone from an
unidentified number that was quickly cut off, and then made no
further attempts to contact us or to retrieve the fraudulent
passport.


4. (SBU) Emboffs have also spoken to several young women who had
been targeted for recruitment to jobs in Syria, as well as

DILI 00000014 002.2 OF 003


international journalists looking into the case. Several young
women approached with offers of domestic jobs in Syria provided
the following account. A Timorese individual known only as "Maun
Juli" (maun means "elder brother" in the local Tetum language)
approached the xefe aldeia (hamlet chief) in their Dili
neighborhood and stated that he needed to recruit 30 women of
about 18 years of age for overseas jobs. The xefe was reportedly
suspicious and did not take any action. The same Timorese man
then began approaching young women directly in the neighborhood.
He claimed that he could offer good job opportunities in Syria
as cleaners, housekeepers, and childcare providers at a good
wage ($100 / month - a relatively good wage in the Timorese
context). He also stated that all necessary travel documentation
and travel expenses would be covered. He then instructed them to
"register" for this opportunity several days later at a nearby
IDP camp located in the Dom Bosco Catholic Church compound.
According the account of the young women, the Church officials
running the camp did not allow him to operate this registration
inside, so it occurred adjacent to the camp. A number of women
did go to register and were told to attend another follow up
meeting. Many of them did not attend the follow up meeting,
apparently because their xefe aldeia was angry that they had
gone to the initial registration. However, at least one woman
from the neighborhood continued to pursue the "opportunity;" she
reported to Emboffs that there were women from several other
Dili neighborhoods who had been approached and were considering
going.


5. (SBU) A priest at the Dom Bosco IDP camp relayed to an
international journalist his interaction with the Timorese man
who had been approaching the women. He reported his name as
Julio da Silva Guterres, a former student at Dom Bosco who later
worked on Timor Sea issues. The priest reported that Guterres
appeared at the camp and wanted to put up an announcement
regarding jobs in Syria. He told the priest he was working with
a Syrian national and was looking for women from 19-30 years old
and that they would need to provide photos. He presented
promotional materials including pictures of young Asian women
supposedly happily working in Syria. When around 30 young women
appeared several days later to "register," the priest reportedly
became more concerned and asked for additional information and
to speak to "the Syrian," but this follow up never occurred.


6. (SBU) Another young woman from another neighborhood reported
to an Australian journalist that she was instructed to go to the
Dili Guest House, a know prostitution establishment, for a
follow up meeting where she says she met "the Syrian" and "the
Nigerian" who was described as "big, with tattoos." She had no
further information on the two individuals. This young woman,
who ultimately decided against going, reported to an
international journalist that she is certain that one Timorese
woman had already gone. The woman in question was from Baucau,
named Josepha da Costa, and went by the nickname "Wanda." She
reportedly speaks good English. However, there is no clear
corroboration of this to date.


7. (C) Later in October or in early November, an international
identified as Hatom, who some of the young women have identified
as "the Syrian," brought a group of 20 to 30 young women to the
Bairopite Clinic, a well-known community clinic run by American
Dr. Daniel Murphy. The clinic staff identified Hatom as possibly
Malaysian and reported that he requested HIV/AIDS tests for the
group. An international clinic staff member relayed to Emboff
that the clinic was suspicious of the request, but played along,
taking the blood samples and charging for the tests. They then
reported the incident to the international police and never
conducted the requested blood tests. Hatom claimed to be working
with a "skills transfer" NGO and provided the following
international number to clinic staff: +86 4 11 86924639.


8. (SBU) All the young women we spoke to ultimately decided not
to pursue the jobs in Syria, although one was well along in the
process before she opted out and others reportedly were close to
departing. A number of factors led the women not to further
pursue these jobs: a) The disapproval of community and Church
leaders, while not determinative, raised doubts; b) Some of the
young women with whom we spoke mentioned the job offers to

DILI 00000014 003.2 OF 003


internationals with whom they were acquainted who immediately
relayed their concern; c) The Minister of Labor and Social
Reinsertion reportedly found out about the recruitment efforts
and endeavored to prevent any women from leaving. Immigration
officials thereafter stopped approving passport applications for
travel to Syria, although it is unclear how they would have
identified women who did not name Syria as their destination.


9. (SBU) Comment: While this apparent trafficking attempt
appears to have been nipped in the bud, it nonetheless points to
worrying vulnerabilities. First, East Timor's extremely high
unemployment rate and lack of opportunities makes the population
susceptible to offers of overseas opportunities. Second, last
year's crisis and the consequent ongoing instability further
eroded opportunities and produced widespread pessimism about the
nation's future, so an increasing number of young people are
actively looking for overseas options. Third, the majority of
Timorese lack access to good information sources across the
board. Until this occurred, most of the young women approached
were not familiar with the concept of trafficking or the risks
involved in taking overseas jobs. Finally, it is likely that
Timorese could be seen as attractive trafficking victims in
light of their lack of overseas resources to call on once in a
trafficking situation. This attempt indicates that Timor has
appeared on the radar screen of international traffickers. At
this point, this is the only known effort of its kind to recruit
for such a scheme and it remains to be seen whether other
attempts will follow. But the vulnerabilities noted above and
this development strongly indicate that it is no longer accurate
to categorize East Timor's TIP risks as purely related to being
a destination country. Law enforcement and other anti-TIP
efforts will clearly need to focus not only on preventing the
expansion of internal trafficking and exploitation of
trafficking victims from the region, but also on future
targeting by similar international efforts. End comment.
GRAY