AMBASSADOR AND NEW WOMEN'S MINISTER ENGAGE ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUALA LUMPUR 000448

SIPDIS

FOR EAP/MTS AMD G/TIP -- SALLY NEUMANN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/30/2018
TAGS: PHUM PGOV SOCI KWMN MY
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR AND NEW WOMEN'S MINISTER ENGAGE ON
TRAFFICKING

Classified By: POLITICAL SECTION CHIEF MARK D. CLARK, reasons 1.4 (b an
d d).

Summary
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1. (SBU) Ambassador Keith met on May 28 with Dr. Ng Yen Yen,
Minister for Women, Family, and Community Development, and
discussed the Ministry's operations of two trafficking
victims' shelters, migrant workers, illegal immigrants, and
developing programs for women and children. Minister Ng
invited the Ambassador to visit the TIP victims' shelters and
welcomed the Ambassador's offer to maintain close
communication between the Ministry and the Embassy on
trafficking and other issues. She welcomed the prospect of a
trip to Malaysia by Ambassador Lagon and indicated she wished
to be personally involved in ensuring the success of such a
trip. She asked for information regarding immigration
statistics, youth leadership programs, such as Americorp,
programs for women to increase the business competitiveness,
and other best practices. Dr. Ng conveyed a clear sense that
she wished to enhance our cooperation to advance shared
objectives regarding trafficking in persons, and more
generally good governance and engaging civil society. End
Summary.

Talking TIP
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2. (C) On May 28, Ambassador Keith paid a courtesy call on
Dr. Ng Yen Yen, the new Minister for Women, Families, and
Community Development (Women's Ministry). (Note: Ng's
predecessor, Shahrizat, had declined to meet with the Embassy
following the release of the June 2007 U.S. trafficking in
persons report. End Note.) Minister Ng engaged Ambassador
Keith in a cordial and friendly manner. Minister Ng
discussed Malaysia's efforts to combat trafficking in persons
(TIP) with a focus on the role played by the Women's
Ministry. She stated the Ministry had sheltered 39 suspected
victims of trafficking since Malaysia's anti-TIP law came
into full force on February 29. Ministry protection officers
verified four of the women as trafficking victims. Minister
Ng asked about the factors involved in U.S. tier rankings and
said she hoped to receive from Washington a clear sense of
what practical steps were associated with improving a
country's ranking. (Note: Post has provided such
information to GOM officials over the past years, and will
use the upcoming release of the TIP report to brief the
Women's Ministry. End Note.) She said Malaysia does not
believe in lobbying for a particular tier placement.


3. (SBU) Dr. Ng expressed her Ministry's willingness to work
closely with the Embassy to improve efforts to combat TIP.
Minister Ng clarified the Ministry's view on trafficking
victims, stating her Ministry was ready to help victims of
trafficking as much as possible, but that identifying victims
was difficult. She highlighted some of the problems,
especially security, involved in operating the TIP victims'
shelters, noting that "boyfriends" often tried to get
sheltered women to leave the compound. She wants a stronger
police presence at the shelters, noting Women's Ministry
protection officers are social workers and not law
enforcement officers. Minister Ng invited the Ambassador to
tour the TIP victim shelters, but in a low profile manner.
The Minister also welcomed a future visit by G/TIP Ambassador
Lagon, offering to meet with him personally and set-up a
relevant roundtable discussion.


4. (SBU) Ambassador Keith reinforced the USG's commitment to
engage constructively with the Government of Malaysia (GOM)
to combat TIP. He noted the recent efforts made by the
Embassy on sharing best practices and experts on TIP. He
made clear that a steady engagement with the Embassy could
facilitate our efforts to obtain subject matter experts and
best practices that match the expressed needs of the GOM. He
also noted that we share similar issues with Malaysia,
including identifying illegal versus legal immigrants, and
determining who might be TIP victims.

Migrant Workers and Illegal Immigrants
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5. (SBU) Minister Ng asked about services the U.S. provides
for illegal immigrants, especially children. She noted that
illegal immigrants in Malaysia represented a strain on
resources and there is much debate on which services,
including education, must be provided and which should be
denied. She was surprised to learn the U.S., unlike
Malaysia, does not have a national identity card.


KUALA LUMP 00000448 002 OF 002


Women and Children Issues
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6. (SBU) Minister Ng appeared very interested in programs
that encourage women to compete within the business world.
She had tasked her Ministry with developing programs that
train women, especially single mothers, to operate small
businesses. She also wished to look into youth development
programs for children 18-years-old and younger, especially
programs promoting good health and leadership. She intended
to expand sex education under the guise of "self-protection
and self-preservation." (Note: Sex education is a
controversial issue. Conservative groups in Malaysia claim
sex education promotes pre-marital sex and "erodes values."
End note.) Minister Ng is very interested in how the United
States deals with juvenile delinquents sentenced to prison
terms. Specifically, she asked how the U.S. tracks youths
after their release from jail to verify they are reformed.
She also asked about U.S. practices in caring for abandoned
babies, noting that the incidence of babies abandoned in
Malaysia was probably much higher than in the United States.


7. (U) Ambassador Keith highlighted Americorp as a
successful program that develops leadership in young
Americans, and promised the Embassy would share other
information responsive to the Minister's questions.
Comment
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8. (SBU) Minister Ng's readiness to meet the Ambassador, her
willingness to discuss TIP, her statements regarding future
cooperation, and her friendly demeanor represent an opening
for engagement with a key ministry responsible for protecting
trafficking victims, an opening we did not have over the past
year. We intend to take the Minister up on her statements on
working closely with the Embassy, particularly on trafficking.

KEITH