East Java - Joint Police Anti-Human Trafficking Operations

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 JAKARTA 001909 SIPDIS FROM AMCONSUL SURABAYA 0072 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/IET, EAP/RSP, G/TIP, DS/IP/EAP, DS/CR/VF, DS/CR/PF, DS/ICI/CI, DS/ICI/CR ALSO FOR USAID ANE/SPOTS, ANE/SEA, IGAT/WID, DCHA/DG DEPT OF JUSTICE FOR ICITAP AND OPDAT DEPT PASS TO DEPT OF LABOR FOR ILAB E.O. 12958: NA TAGS: ASEC PGOV PHUM ELAB EAID KJUS KCRM KCOR ID SUBJECT: East Java - Joint Police Anti-Human Trafficking Operations Commence Reftel: Jakarta 1130 Operation Triple X ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: ConGen Surabaya launched a joint operation with local police May 29 targeting East Java human trafficking (TIP) rings. The primary goal is rescuing some of the thousands of child prostitutes in Surabaya and arresting traffickers, pimps and child sex tourists. Operation XXX initiative is beginning to show results with four raids completed. Police are also displaying greater awareness and enthusiasm for investigating and arresting traffickers. Previously strained relations between our NGO contacts and police are improving with increased cooperation. We see the success of the first joint operation as an excellent first step and are planning another in Surabaya's Kendungdoro prostitution district for September. END SUMMARY ConGen Surabaya Supports Anti-TIP Operation -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Local anti-human trafficking (TIP) NGOs and the East Java provincial government estimate there are thousands of child prostitutes in Surabaya and thousands more transiting through Surabaya to acquire false documents before shipment to Malaysia or the Middle East. As a part of ConGen Surabaya's on-going Operation XXX, combating document fraud associated with visa fraud and trafficking in persons (TIP) in eastern Indonesia, RSO Kevin Whitson, Pol/Econoff Dave Williams and, DOJ ICITAP launched a May 29 joint operation with 29 East Java provincial police detectives targeted at rescuing child prostitutes and arresting human traffickers and child sex tourists in Surabaya's Dolly/Jarak red light district. This ongoing joint undercover surveillance operation is designed to identify, target, apprehend and prosecute American citizens and Indonesian citizens who are actively involved in the child sex tourism child sex exploitation, trade and child pornography in the Dolly, Jarak and, Kedungdoro areas. ¶3. (SBU) Prior to these child sex tourism raids and arrests, Operation XXX has led to police raiding 28 organized criminal groups involved in counterfeit documents, ID's, fraudulently obtained Indonesian Passports operations and the arrest of 107 suspects. The continuation of Operation XXX is also intended to promote strong police action against human traffickers, child prostitution brothel owners and child sex tourists and to rescue child victims from the brothels and place them in TIP victim shelters. Post is working closely with police to support aggressive use of Indonesia's new anti-TIP legislation, signed by President Yudhoyono in April 2007 (Reftel). Police had not felt able to aggressively pursue human traffickers prior to the new legislation. ¶4. (SBU) Police, using intelligence provided by ConGen Surabaya anti-TIP NGO contacts and information gathered from interviewing document fraud suspects, and street contacts, began surveillance of the most notorious child prostitution brothels in Dolly/Jarak. ConGen Surabaya and DOJ ICITAP officers, posing as potential "sex tourist" clients, entered several brothels to gather information on the location and numbers of underage girls in each establishment. Officers also gathered information on the numbers and nationalities of sex tourist clients in the different brothels. This information was relayed to police for further investigation and follow-up. Police decided to focus surveillance on several brothels catering to child sex tourism rather than make immediate raids and risk tipping off other brothel owners. RSO maintains close contacts with provincial and local police working on the joint project. ConGen Intelligence Prompts TIP Raids -------------- ¶5. (SBU) In June, police began raiding identified child prostitution brothels in Dolly/Jarak. The first two raids produced arrests of four human traffickers, two pimps selling child prostitutes and the rescue of two child prostitutes. Surabaya Metro Police raided a brothel named "Setia 22-an" in Jarak. The police arrested two traffickers named Erni Armindi and her husband Sobri. They were caught selling two girls to a brothel, 13 and 15 years old, receiving payment of $167 for the 13year-old and $83 for the 15 JAKARTA 00001909 002 OF 003 year-old. They also admitted selling 5 or 6 girls to the same brothel on prior occasions. Armindi told police she acquired false ID cards from a Surabaya document vendor, changing the girls' ages and their home addresses to the brothel's address. The rescued child prostitutes were taken to a USAID-funded shelter for TIP victims run by Genta Foundation. The shelter provides psychological counseling and reintegration assistance to successfully return the girls to their villages and prevent re-trafficking back to Surabaya. ¶6. (SBU) East Java police leaders have come out publicly with strong directives to go after human traffickers in the province even prior to issuance of implementing regulations for the new anti-TIP law. East Java Police Chief Herman Sumawiredja told RSO in a recent meeting that one of his top priorities is to combat human trafficking and child sex tourism in the city of Surabaya. Though prodded to start the operation, police have willingly participated and have begun providing leadership in the investigation. Police are receiving positive local media feedback for their role in combating human trafficking. Building Trust Between NGO's and Police -------------- ¶7. (SBU) An important aspect of Operation XXX is developing positive working relationships between anti-TIP NGOs working in Surabaya's red light districts and police. Both civilian and military police have long histories of profiting from the Surabaya sex trade through providing protection to and actually partnering with brothel owners. Police regularly harassed NGOs assisting sex workers and directly collected debt bonds on behalf of pimps from girls trying to escape. Girls unable to pay their debt bond were returned to their brothel's owner by police. Through Operation XXX, we have identified police precincts willing to take action against traffickers and their police colleagues. It took our long-standing relationships with local anti-human trafficking NGOs and assurances that we had thoroughly vetted police before the NGOs agreed to participate in the operation. As the operation delivers results and anti-TIP NGOs see police acting to free girls and bring them to shelters, we believe that ConGen Surabaya's role as a liaison between police and NGOs will diminish. We have at least one report of an anti-TIP NGO directly offering police information on recent TIP victims arriving in Surabaya. ConGen Surabaya's Anti-TIP Plans -------------- ¶8. (SBU) Local police remain enthusiastic to expand the cooperation to other prostitution areas in Surabaya. Police raids on Dolly/Jarak brothels and our NGO contacts have developed specific information on the Kedungdoro prostitution area of Surabaya, which caters specifically to child prostitution and sex tourism. Police estimate 600-1,000 child prostitutes work in this three-block area of Kedungdoro. NGO contacts have identified brothels specializing in child prostitution for ex-pat clients. Our joint operation in Kedungdoro is scheduled for September. Police hope to continue regular operations in the 5 or 6 largest prostitution areas in the city. A Good Start -------------- ¶9. (SBU) Operation XXX is successfully supporting police to more actively pursue human traffickers and establishing positive connections between NGOs and police. Provincial police leadership directives are increasing local police awareness of human trafficking as a crime. Police see high profile media attention from trafficking arrests as potentially career enhancing and seem motivated to use the new trafficking law. While NGOs continue urging police to be more ambitious arresting traffickers, they have not reported any recriminations by police for participating in the joint operation. We see this positive result from the joint operation as an important first step in Indonesia's fight against human trafficking. JAKARTA 00001909 003.2 OF 003 ¶10. (SBU) Comment: To date, this brings a total of 30 police raids of Surabaya-area criminal groups done in cooperation with Surabaya city Police. Indonesian police support to these anti-fraud/criminal operations continues to be outstanding. These arrests bring to 113 the total number of individuals arrested in connection with criminal activities. ¶11. (SBU) Additional information will be reported SEPTEL. THE POC for this cable is RSO Kevin Whitson; Pol/Econ TIP Officer David Williams and can be reached at 62-31-295-6400. WHITSON/HUME