CROSS-COUNTRY COORDINATION ON RESCUE OF 8 TIP VICTIMS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HO CHI MINH CITY 000608 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/MLS AND G/TIP E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KTIP PREL PGOV VM SUBJECT: CROSS-COUNTRY COORDINATION ON RESCUE OF 8 TIP VICTIMS HO CHI MIN 00000608 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: The dramatic rescue of eight Vietnamese women from a brothel in Thailand's southern Yala province in August highlighted Vietnamese authorities' improving investigation techniques and cooperation with regional law enforcement officials, as well as their effective collaboration with international anti-trafficking NGOs. With more resources, the GVN's anti-trafficking efforts could be even more effective. End Summary. Cross Country Collaboration -------------- ¶2. (SBU) In August, Thanh Nien (Youth) newspaper carried the harrowing tale of eight Vietnamese women rescued during a Thai Department of Special Investigation (DSI)raid on a brothel in Thailand's southern Yala province on the border with Malaysia. The eight women are originally from the Cambodian border province of Tay Ninh and range in age from 17 to 21 years of age. ¶3. (SBU) Contacts at anti-trafficking NGO AFESIP (French acronym for Acting for Women in Distressing Situations) said Thai authorities acted on a tip received from the Vietnamese anti-trafficking police (PC 14),delivered via the Vietnamese Embassy in Bangkok. PC 14 learned of the potential whereabouts of the missing women from group of traffickers arrested in southern Vietnam. AFESIP was instrumental in linking PC 14 and the Vietnamese Embassy to the right anti-trafficking counterparts in DSI. Within three days, Thai police rescued the women and amassed enough evidence to charge their captors with trafficking. DSI is now holding one 46-year old alleged trafficker and is looking for three additional Malaysian suspects connected with the brothel. AFESIP said the eight women are in protective custody and are participating in the ongoing investigation of the trafficking ring. They will eventually be transferred to the Vietnamese Embassy in Bangkok for repatriation. Victims Lured By False Labor Recruiter -------------- ¶4. (SBU) According to the media reports, the victims said they were approached by a Vietnamese woman named Tuyen who was looking for people to work in restaurants in Singapore in March and promised high salaries. Instead of going to Singapore, however, the women were flown to Thailand. After arriving in Bangkok and having their passports confiscated, the women were taken to the brothel in Betong district, Yala province. Tuyen's Malaysian husband ordered them to work as prostitutes and threatened death for anyone who disobeyed. Although the brothel owner collected VND1.7 million (approximately $100 USD) per client, the women were paid next to nothing, because the brothel owner told them their wages were being used to pay the "debt" they incurred for their cosmetics, blankets and airfare from Vietnam to Thailand. Comment -------------- ¶5. (SBU) While anti-trafficking efforts in Vietnam have seen measurable improvement in the last few years, particularly in the area of law-enforcement, further progress is restricted by the realities of what authorities have to work with. PC-14 teams are specialized criminal police units located within MPS departments in HCMC and at the provincial and district level. The HCMC team is tasked with coordinating with their provincial counterparts in all provinces from Da Nang to Ca Mau, an area they admit is far too large for their limited resources. PC 14 is committed to rescuing Vietnamese TIP victims abroad and is slowly establishing the ties with Interpol, foreign missions and law enforcement agencies needed to network effectively, but say their outreach efforts are hampered by insufficient budgets and a lack of human resources. PC 14 contacts believe more specialized police officers and investigators are needed because TIP cases are increasingly more complex and laborious due to the multiple countries and entities involved. Success stories such as this one could be more common if the GVN invested more resources in anti-TIP efforts, including anti-TIP training at HO CHI MIN 00000608 002.2 OF 002 the local commune police level, since they are often the first to learn of trafficking victims via family members. End comment. ¶7. (U) This cable was coordinated with Embassy Hanoi. FAIRFAX