AMBASSADOR DISCUSSES UIGHURS AND DRUG

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PHNOM PENH 000926 SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/MLS, INL, DRL, PRM GENEVA FOR RMA E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/17/2019 TAGS: PREF PREL PGOV PHUM SNAR CB SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR DISCUSSES UIGHURS AND DRUG REHABILITATION WITH DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER SAR KHENG REF: A. PHNOM PENH 925 ¶B. PHNOM PENH 913 Classified By: AMBASSADOR CAROL A. RODLEY FOR REASONS 1.4 (B, D) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Ambassador Rodley met December 17 with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior (DPM) Sar Kheng to discuss the Uighur asylum seekers in Phnom Penh. The DPM expressed disappointment at an initial lack of cooperation by the local United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) Office with the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC),but said the RGC and UNHCR were working together now to assess the asylum claims of the 20 Uighurs who remain under UNHCR protection. He repeated Cambodia's commitment to abide by its obligations under the UN Refugee Convention. The Ambassador and DPM also discussed the recent dispute between the National Authority for Combating Drugs (NACD) and the U.S.-supported harm reduction NGO Korsang. The DPM said, for his part, he supported renewing Korsang's license to participate in Cambodia's Needle and Syringe Exchange Program if no other objections were raised. Korsang and UNAIDS officials fear the license renewal is in jeopardy due to the dispute. END SUMMARY. -------------- Protecting Uighur Asylum-Seekers -------------- ¶2. (C) During a December 17 conversation about the Uighur asylum-seekers in Phnom Penh, Ambassador Rodley praised the RGC's public commitment to upholding its obligations under the 1951 UN Convention on the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol. Ambassador called the substantial media coverage of the situation "extremely unfortunate" because it makes the protection of those asylum-seekers even more difficult. Ambassador emphasized that despite the low profile maintained on this issue, the U.S. Government (USG) is following these asylum cases very closely and considers them very important. Ambassador also related the satisfaction expressed by UNHCR's Bangkok representative for RGC measures taken thus far and thanked the DPM for his efforts to move the Uighur group to a more secure location (Ref A). ¶3. (C) The DPM expressed disappointment with UNHCR's handling of the process, saying the RGC had not received close cooperation on the Uighur asylum claims. He stated his belief that the response would have been improved if UNHCR had sought to work together with RGC officials from the outset. The DPM said the RGC is preparing for the refugee status determination interviews, although a start date has not yet been set. He pledged the RGC "would do our best" to make accurate determinations of who were refugees and who were not. He also confirmed that the RGC expected joint management of the refugee status determination process with UNHCR, in keeping with the operating model that's been in place since late 2008. ¶4. (C) Responding to the Ambassador's question on the current state of security for the Uighur group, the DPM said his understanding is that there have not been any problems with security thus far. He repeated the December 16 discovery that two of the Uighur adults were no longer present (Ref A),as the group was moving to UNHCR's Site 3. (NOTE: The two Uighurs who departed are still considered to be asylum-seekers under UNHCR protection in Cambodia. END NOTE.) Ambassador expressed the hope that the move would address any remaining safety concerns. The DPM concluded by noting the RGC was "on the road" to finding a solution to the Uighur problem. -------------- Treating Drug Addicts -------------- ¶5. (SBU) The Ambassador and DPM also discussed the development of a dispute between the NACD and harm-reduction NGO Korsang, which receives USG support, and provides 24-hour needle and syringe exchange services for approximately 1,200 injection drug users as part of a harm-reduction approach to drug treatment and HIV/AIDS prevention in Cambodia. The NACD requested that Korsang volunteer its drug addiction clients for participation in a study of the efficacy of a Vietnamese substance called "Bong Sen" in treating heroin addiction. Korsang reportedly told NACD authorities that its donors' terms required assurances from NACD and the Ministry of Health about "Bong Sen", the provision of safety data for "Bong Sen," and provision of study protocols, ethics board PHNOM PENH 00000926 002 OF 002 approvals, and the documentation of procedures to ensure informed and voluntary consent of study participants. In the absence of such evidence, in order to conform with donor expectations, Korsang refused participation in the study. Korsang and UNAIDS subsequently reported to USAID and Embassy officers that NACD officials threatened not to renew Korsang's license to participate in Cambodia's needle and syringe exchange program. ¶6. (C) DPM Sar Kheng said his understanding was that a small shipment of "Bong Sen" was originally given to Cambodia by a Vietnamese deputy prime minister, and that the substance was approved by Vietnam's Ministry of Health. Following that, a group of experts from Vietnam arrived in Cambodia to help administer a study on the substance's efficacy. He said following NACD's request that Korsang participate, Korsang asked for and received letters from Cambodia's Ministry of Health as well as NACD officials, but that Korsang still refused to participate. The DPM did not mention any request by Korsang for the safety data or other information. He said Korsang should not worry about repercussions from the dispute, and that the incident was in the past. ¶6. (C) Ambassador noted the apparent breakdown in communication between Korsang and NACD on what assurances were required by Korsang and its donors in order to have confidence in the "Bong Sen" study, that both parties likely began with good intentions, but the communication difficulties led to problems. Responding to the Ambassador's question about the renewal of Korsang license to participate in the needle and syringe exchange program, the DPM stated his "support in continuing the license, if no other obstacles to the renewal are discovered." -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶7. (C) DPM Sar Kheng echoed the RGC's public commitment to protecting the Uighur asylum-seekers in Cambodia, which has been quite strong thus far. However, the DPM's comments seemed to pull back slightly with the references to being "on the road" to a solution. This may be a reference to the external pressure that has increased in recent days. It may also reflect an RGC belief that the group of 20 asylum-seekers is a mixed bag, with some persons having legitimate political asylum claims and some who may not. The DPM's complaints of lack of cooperation by UNHCR also raise concerns about UNHCR's local capacity for handling the group. The December 4 public reports of the Uighurs in Cambodia which appeared to originate with World Uighur Congress representatives in the U.S., as well as other activist groups' willingness to use the media to massage the issue, could present significant difficulties as the cases move forward, particularly if some are denied. ¶8. (C) Korsang officials said they have held off officially requesting the license renewal, but plan to submit it this week. The DPM offered qualified support, but the communication problems brought to light by the study dispute may well be one of those "other obstacles" that could still impede renewal. RODLEY