DOMINICAN GOVERNMENT REACTS DEFENSIVELY TO

S E C R E T SANTO DOMINGO 001426 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/PPC: MICHAEL PUCCETTI, G/TIP: BARBARA FLECK E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/15/2017 TAGS: ELAB MASS PGOV PHUM PINR PREF SMIG KCRM DR HA SUBJECT: DOMINICAN GOVERNMENT REACTS DEFENSIVELY TO DEMARCHE ON TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS REF: A. STATE 78785 ¶B. SANTO DOMINGO 0733 Classified By: ECOPOL Michael Meigs; Reasons 1.4 (b/d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: The Charge informed Dominican Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs Jose Manuel Trullols and Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs Rosario Graciano on June 11 of SIPDIS the decision to place the Dominican government on the Tier 2 Watch List in the Department's Trafficking Report. Graciano reacted defensively to the allegations of high-level official complicity in the smuggling of Chinese nationals, including some apparent trafficking victims, through the Dominican Republic to the United States. She questioned the veracity of the press reports on this issue; when the acting Consul General stated that other Embassy sources had corroborated much of the information that appeared in the press, Trullols requested that the Embassy share all such allegations with them. Graciano also complained that embassy officers had interviewed officials from a wide range of government ministries in compiling the TIP Report; she asked Charge to direct all such inquiries exclusively to her office in the future. Trullols stated that he would communicate to the relevant ministries USG concerns on the lack of government investment in protection resources for trafficking victims. Charge praised the work of the Office of the Attorney General in investigating trafficking cases and pursuing charges against suspects. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (U) On June 11 the Charge, Acting Consul General (A/CG), and poloff delivered ref A demarche to Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs Jose Manuel Trullols and Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs Rosario Graciano, informing them of the June 12 publication date of the Department's Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report and of the decision to place the Dominican Republic on the Tier 2 Watch List this year for the reasons outlined in reftel. ¶3. (C) The Charge began this demarche expressing concern over information that brought into question the integrity of the Dominican visa process overseas. Trullols responded that the MFA had initiated a project in March 2007 to enhance the security of the visa process by adding biometric data and other advanced information to applications. He implied that these efforts would be successful in addressing USG concerns in time for the publication of the next TIP Report. To this the A/CG replied that enhanced security in this sense would be a welcome addition, but that it alone would not alleviate USG concerns. The A/CG specifically alluded to the allegations of high-level official complicity in the issuance of visas to intending migrants in violation of the law, for example in Hong Kong. ¶4. (S) The A/CG's allusion to Hong Kong was in part a reference to specific allegations made by newspaper Clave Digital several months ago that foreign Dominican consulates like the country's mission in Hong Kong, with the assistance of Graciano's office, had issued thousands of visas to Chinese migrants whose qualifications were extremely dubious and who used the Dominican Republic as a springboard to migrate illegally to the United States (ref B). Graciano, whose office is directly indicated in the scandal, has long questioned the Clave account; several months ago she provided to ECOPOL statistics of her own that indicated that only a handful of visas had been issued to Chinese nationals over the last year. According to SAA, those statistics were almost certainly bogus. ¶5. (C) When the China connection was raised, Graciano reacted defensively, as she has in the past. She stated that reporters write whatever they believe will sell the most newspapers without regard to its accuracy. She said that the USG should not rely exclusively on what is stated in the media. To this, the A/CG responded that other USG sources of information had corroborated key elements of the Clave story. Trullols replied that it was in his government's interest to eliminate corruption, or to "cut off any cancerous growths as they arise," as he put it. He encouraged Embassy representatives to share with him immediately any information implicating officials in corrupt acts in the future. Embassy officials undertook to do so, whenever possible. ¶6. (SBU) Graciano complained to the Charge that the human rights reporting officer had interviewed officials from a wide range of government ministries in compiling the TIP Report, instead of relying exclusively on information provided directly by the MFA. (NOTE: Much of the information provided by the MFA in 2005 was incorrect and/or misleading.) Graciano asked that in future the Embassy work directly through the MFA to obtain all of the information it needs for the TIP Report. In past communications concerning this issue, poloffs have declined to rule out meetings with other government ministries, and at this meeting the Charge declined to do so, as well. ¶7. (U) The Charge then highlighted the lack of government investment in protection programs for trafficking victims as the other outstanding issue in the Dominican trafficking record. As an example of the problems trafficking victims face, poloff mentioned that resources for victims of domestic violence are not made available to trafficking victims. Trullols replied that he would communicate USG concerns in this area to the relevant Dominican ministries. ¶8. (U) Throughout the meeting, Charge and others praised the work being accomplished by the Office of the Public Prosecutor's Anti-Trafficking Unit, and its leader Dr. Frank Soto in particular, in investigating trafficking cases and pursuing convictions. ¶9. (U) Drafted by ECOPOL: Alexander T. Bryan ¶10. (U) This report and extensive other material can be consulted on our SIPRNET site, http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/santodomingo/ BULLEN