CAMBODIA: 2009 1ST QUARTER REPORT ON TRAFFICKING IN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PHNOM PENH 000261 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR G/TIP, EAP/MLS, EAP/RSP, AND DRL USAID FOR ASIA BUREAU E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PREL KWMN KTIP SOCI CB SUBJECT: CAMBODIA: 2009 1ST QUARTER REPORT ON TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS Ref: (A)PHNOM PENH 145 (B)PHNOM PENH 206 SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED ¶1. (SBU) Summary: During the first quarter of 2009, Cambodian police arrested six persons on human trafficking charges and four on procurement of prostitution charges in connection with two cases in which three rescued prostitutes were under age 18. Police reported that seven foreign pedophiles were arrested and 17 victims were rescued in connection with pedophile cases. During the same period, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court convicted one foreign pedophile for the purchase of child prostitution. Police rescued 32 victims of trafficking and reported that they were returned to their families or were referred to NGO victim shelters (Ref A and B). End Summary. National Task Force Updates -------------- ¶2. (SBU) The National Task Force (NTF) began an administrative reform effort during the first quarter of 2009. The High Level Working Group (HLWG) secretariat, which is now operating out of the Ministry of Interior (MOI) and chaired by Secretary of State Chou Bun Eng, held several discussions on the possibility of merging the NTF with the HLWG into a single unit. The idea was welcomed by most of the key stakeholders, as there was a sense that the merger will give more leverage to the anti-trafficking initiatives within the government. The new HLWG/NTF structure will integrate the previous structures of the HLWG and NTF, and will increase the number of working groups within the new HLWG structure to six working groups: prevention, protection, rescue and raid, prosecution, child rights, and MOU implementation and monitoring. The revisions in the positions of Chair and Vice-chairs as well as of the members of each working group are underway. The vice chair for each of the working groups will be from civil society. The new proposed structure envisions more involvement and participation from all relevant ministries. A final decision on merging the HLWG/NTF is expected in the second quarter of 2009. ¶3. (SBU) The NTF continues to work with civil society representatives and different ministries to develop a coordinated data collection system in the areas of protection, prevention and prosecution in order to improve the quality and accuracy of TIP data. During the first quarter of 2009, the NTF held several meetings with NGO coalitions and ministry agencies to ensure common understanding of the 15 agreed indicators of victim information uder the rubric of "protection," including victim age, when they were trafficked, how much salary they were promised before they were trafficked, and how much salary they received during their work. NTF representatives also trained NGO staff and participating government officials in the correct completion of forms that gather data on these 15 indicators. During the same period, NTF met with the Provincial Task Force (PTF) and District of Social Affairs in Svay Rieng to discuss the NTF indicators on data collection for the protection component because of the high incidence of cross-border trafficking between Cambodia and Vietnam from that province. Police Activity -------------- ¶4. (SBU) During the first quarter of 2009, Cambodian police reported the arrest of six individuals on human trafficking charges and four on procurement of prostitution charges in connection with two cases in which rescued prostitutes were under age 18. Police rescued 32 victims of trafficking and reported that they were returned to their families or were referred to NGO victim shelters (Ref A and B). ¶5. (SBU) On March 25, police from the Anti-Human Trafficking and Juvenile Protection (AHTJP) Department of the national police arrested 39-year-old Kong Sak Bon, male and 36-year-old Yoak Un, female, for operating a brothel where two underage victims were found. Police reported that a prosecutor at Phnom Penh Municipal Court charged the perpetrators with procurement of prostitution under article 27 "Aggravated Procurement of Prostitution" and the two perpetrators are currently in pre-trial detention. Police reported that the victims were returned to their families. ¶6. (SBU) On March 26, Banteay Meanchey provincial police arrested 43-year-old Srun Touch, male, for trafficking two victims from Banteay Meanchey province, aged 15 and 21, to Thailand. The victims were persuaded by a 25-year-old stranger, who appeared in the victims' village, to work in Thailand as housemaids. The stranger brought the victims to meet one recruiter, named Plork, in Poipet. Police reported that they are searching for more information about the recruiter and will seek an arrest warrant from the provincial court. Perpetrator Srun Touch told the police that Plork ordered PHNOM PENH 00000261 002 OF 003 him to bring the two victims across the border to Thailand. The victims reported that they paid 2,500 Bath (USD 70) each to the recruiters as fees and were arrested by Thai police on their arrival and returned to Cambodia. The victims were interviewed with other returnees by a working group made up of two police officers from AHTJP department, two officers from Banteay Meanchey provincial police, two officers from O Chrov district police, and one officer from the Immigration police. Through the interview, police learned that Srun Touch had guaranteed the victims' entrance to Thailand, and that if they were returned to Cambodia, they were to call him for assistance in returning to Thailand for free. Using this information, the victims were asked to call Srun Touch, and police arrested him when he came to pick up the victims. Police reported that a prosecutor of Banteay Meanchey provincial court charged Srun Touch under Article 18 "Cross-border Transportation" (the act of bringing a person across a border) and that the perpetrator is currently in pre-trial detention. Police reported that the victims were returned to their families. Court Activity -------------- ¶7. (SBU) On March 19, Phnom Penh Municipal Court (PPMC) convicted 40-year-old American national Jason Todd Baumbach, male, under the new law on suppression of human trafficking and sexual exploitation article 34 "Purchase of Child Prostitution" for the purchase of a 13-year old for child prostitution. Jason Todd Baumbach was sentenced to 13 years in prison and was ordered to pay 20 million riel (USD 5,000) to the victim as compensation. Other Activity -------------- ¶8. (SBU) During the first quarter, IJM carried out one successful operation in the notorious Svay Pak neighborhood in Phnom Penh and rescued one victim. Police arrested three perpetrators during the operation. ¶9. (SBU) The NGO Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC) reported that on January 12, it received a complaint filed by the family of a nine-year-old victim named Khiev Socheat against 23-year-old perpetrator Yin Sareth, female, for the attempted trafficking of the victim to Vietnam for begging. ADHOC reported that the perpetrator gave some money to the victim and tried to persuade the victim to go to Vietnam to beg, but was not successful. A few days later, the perpetrator came to the victim's house and wanted to take the victim to Vietnam, but the victim's grandmother did not allow the perpetrator to do so and filed a complaint in the provincial court with assistance from ADHOC. ADHOC reported that the perpetrator escaped after learning that the victim's family filed a complaint with the court. Police confirmed that they are searching for the perpetrator. ¶10. (SBU) On February 26, ADHOC reported that LICADO assisted four labor trafficking victims aged between 20 and 28 years, and helped them return to Cambodia from Malaysia through Phnom Penh International Airport. Unidentified recruiters trafficked the four victims to Thailand on different occasions to work as fishermen with a promised salary between 4,000 and 7,000 Baht. The four victims worked on boats in the Gulf of Thailand near Malaysia for between five and eight months without receiving any payment. The four victims escaped to Malaysia and were arrested by Malaysian police and put in detention for between two and three months before they were assisted by LICADHO, in cooperation with the Cambodian embassy in Malaysia, to return home. The victims filed complaints against the recruiters and police are investigating the case. ¶11. (SBU) On February 26, ADHOC in Koh Kong province received 10 trafficking victims, aged between 13 and 17 years old, from Koh Kong provincial police. ADHOC reported that the victims were trafficked from Prey Veng province by two perpetrators named Neang Run, aged 44, male, and Long Lux, aged 47, male. ADHOC reported that police arrested the perpetrators in Koh Kong before they trafficked the victims to Thailand. Police reported that the perpetrators are now in pre-trial detention and were charged with cross-border human trafficking. The victims were sent to the Healthcare Center for Children (HCC) for victim assistance. ¶12. (SBU) On January 19, ADHOC in Koh Kong province received four trafficking victims who were trafficked by unidentified recruiters named Vy and Thy. The two recruiters promised to find jobs for the victims in Thailand for high salaries. The victims paid the recruiters USD 50 each. They worked on a fishing boat in Thailand for six days in Trat province and after they realized that the recruiters had left the boat, the victims escaped when the boat docked. They returned to Cambodia by themselves through Khaov Vong gate and came to ADHOC to file a complaint against the recruiters. Police confirmed that they are investigating the case and the PHNOM PENH 00000261 003 OF 003 victims returned home. ¶13. (SBU) On January 23, ADHOC in Koh Kong province reported that they received one victim of human trafficking who was trafficked by an unidentified recruiter named Huy. ADHOC reported that the victim paid 2,500 Baht (USD 70) to the recruiter for a job. After working in Thailand for around one month without pay, the victim decided to move to a new location within Thailand. He got lost on the way and was arrested by Thai police and put in detention for 15 days before he was sent back by Thai police to Cambodia through Cham Yeam gate (Trat - Koh Kong). ADHOC reported that the victim filed a complaint against the recruiter. Police confirmed they are investigating the case. ADHOC reported that the victim was sent to HCC for victim assistance. ¶14. (SBU) On January 23, ADHOC in Koh Kong province reported that Thai police from an unidentified unit handed over to Koh Kong provincial police a trafficking victim named Sen Sry who was trafficked by an unidentified recruiter named Tuy. The victim was persuaded by Tuy to work in Trat province in Thailand as construction worker. ADHOC reported that the victim worked for two months without pay. When the victim demanded payment, the construction boss alerted Thai local police that the victim was in the country illegally. The victim was arrested and detained for 13 days in Thailand. ADHOC reported that the victim lodged a complaint against the recruiter. Police confirmed they are investigating the case. ADHOC reported that the victim was sent to HCC for victim assistance. ¶15. (SBU) During the first quarter, Cambodian Defenders Project (CDP) received two new cases: one related to "unlawful removal with purpose" involved a 13-year-old victim; the second case related to "procurement of prostitution" included four victims under age 18. CDP provided legal support and lawyers for the victims. ¶16. (SBU) During the first quarter, World Hope International (WHI) received six rescued victims of sex trafficking aged between eight and 16 years old. Of the six victims, there were three Cambodian, one Vietnamese, and two Khmer-Vietnamese. ¶17. (SBU) During the first quarter, Legal Support for Children and Women (LSCW) provided legal assistance to two female victims aged 16 and 19 in Sihanouk province. The two victims were persuaded by a Vietnamese recruiter to come to Cambodia for a job. The victims were trafficked to Cambodia and sold to one brothel in Sihanoukville where they were sexually exploited. Police raided the brothel and arrested a 23-year-old Vietnamese national perpetrator named Foeung, female, and charged her with procurement of prostitution. LSCW reported that the two victims were sent to WHI for victim assistance. Police confirmed that the perpetrator is currently in pre-trial detention. ¶18. (SBU) During the first quarter, AFESIP received seven new victims aged between 17 and 22 into its shelter who were rescued during an operation on January 20 carried out by Banteay Meanchey provincial police in one brothel. Police confirmed that they arrested two perpetrators who are currently in pre-trial detention. RODLEY