MACAU GOVERNMENT ESTABLISHES COMMITTEE TO COMBAT

C O N F I D E N T I A L HONG KONG 002360 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR G/TIP AND EAP/CM NSC FOR DENNIS WILDER E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/11/2032 TAGS: KCRM SMIG SOCI PGOV PHUM HK CH MC MG SUBJECT: MACAU GOVERNMENT ESTABLISHES COMMITTEE TO COMBAT HUMAN TRAFFICKING REF: HONG KONG 01866 Classified By: E/P Chief Laurent Charbonnet. Reasons: 1.4 (b, d). ¶1. (C) The Macau government, clearly making good on some of the commitments expressed by Chief Executive (CE) Ho to G/TIP director Ambassador Lagon in June (reftel),gazetted a directive yesterday to set up a "concern committee" on deterring human trafficking. The committee will consist of up to 12 representatives from the Security, Administration and Justice, and Social Affairs and Culture departments, all of whom are to be chosen within the next two weeks and submitted to Cheong Kwoc Va, the Secretary for Security. The Secretariat for Security is responsible for leading the SIPDIS committee, but the CE directed that all government departments should cooperate with the committee's activities. ¶2. (U) According to the government gazette (similar to the U.S. Federal Register),the committee is responsible for: (1) studying and assessing TIP-related social problems, and (2) suggesting and supervising each department's efforts to combat human trafficking. The committee aims to coordinate and assist the development of measures to prevent trafficking and protect victims, as well as to assist victims to reintegrate into society. The directive also tasks the committee to promote international and regional cooperation in the fight against trafficking. Finally, the directive calls for a comprehensive review of trafficking-related laws in Macau, matching them with international standards. ¶3. (SBU) An article in the English-language "Macau Daily Post" on September 11, 2007, asserted that "the setting up of the committee comes after persistent complaints by U.S. authorities that the local (Macau) authorities have not done enough to prevent and fight human trafficking in the area of prostitution." ¶4. (C) Comment: The public and private statements of Macau Chief Executive Edmund Ho at the time of the G/TIP director's June visit represented an apparent sea change in the Macau government's recognition of the need to take action against TIP. This gazetted instruction now provides strong evidence of concrete follow-through in Macau and represents a very significant success in our anti-TIP efforts there. We expect that Macau -- after a decent interval -- will announce changes to its laws against trafficking, which we know have been under review for some months. The establishment of this anti-TIP committee opens the door for increased USG engagement there; post officers are now planning trips to Macau to determine the details of the Macau government's plans. Cunningham