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