Cablegate: Recent Vietnam-China Anti-Trafficking Cooperation

VZCZCXRO2379
RR RUEHHM
DE RUEHHI #2240/01 2440725
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 010725Z SEP 06
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3256
INFO RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY 1730
RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK 5077
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 6759
RUEHGZ/AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU 0715
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 5564
RUEHPF/AMEMBASSY PHNOM PENH 3587
RUEHVN/AMEMBASSY VIENTIANE 3839

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 002240

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SENSITIVE
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STATE FOR EAP/MLS; INL/AAE; G/TIP

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KWMN KOCI PHUM KCRM CH VM
SUBJECT: RECENT VIETNAM-CHINA ANTI-TRAFFICKING COOPERATION

1. (SBU) Summary: Vietnam's border region with China accounts for
the majority of its trafficking in persons cases. To tackle this
problem, both countries are bolstering their law enforcement
cooperation, including through bilateral agreements and operational
cooperation. Their efforts have yielded results, including rescuing
victims and rolling up gangs involved in trafficking. Furthermore,
both countries are working to raise public awareness about the
problem of trafficking in persons - and their cooperative activities
to combat it -- through the co-hosting of an international
anti-trafficking forum and a border area public awareness campaign.
End Summary.

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A LONG AND DIFFICULT BORDER
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2. (SBU) The problem of trafficking in persons (TIP) along the
1,463-kilometer border between Vietnam and China is endemic.
Earlier this month, Vice Minister of Public Security Le The Tiem
said in an article in the "People's Police" newspaper that the
hotspot border provinces in northern Vietnam include Quang Ninh,
Lang Son, Cao Bang, Lai Chau and Lao Cai. During a conference on
human trafficking sponsored by the GVN earlier this year, the
Ministry of Public Security (MPS) reported that they had identified
23 TIP routes and 105 hotspots in Vietnam, with the Vietnam-China
border being the "worst TIP region." According to a recent MPS
survey, trafficking cases in the Vietnam-China border region account
for 70 percent of the country's trafficking total. According to a
recent report issued by the Vietnamese police, more than 550
Vietnamese women and children were trafficked to China in the last
two years. Out of that number, about 185 were from Quang Ninh, 137
from Lang Son, 90 from Lao Cai, and the rest from Cao Bang, Ha
Giang, Lai Chau and Dien Bien provinces.

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BILATERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT COOPERATION
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3. (SBU) On June 1, public security officials from Vietnam and China
signed a Memorandum of Understanding to combat trafficking in
persons across the two countries' border. According to an MPS press
release, this MOU serves as the basis for the two countries' law
enforcement personnel and anti-TIP task forces to combat
trafficking, rescue victims and receive returnees. Law enforcement
efforts have recently yielded some notable successes. In a joint
effort between the two countries' police forces, four Chinese
children trafficked to Vietnam were returned to their homes in
Guangzhou. The children, three boys and a girl between nine and 14
years' old, were kidnapped in Zhejiang Province, China, on May 5, in
an attempt to traffic them to a third country, according to Vietnam
News. Police reported that they rescued these children in Ho Chi
Minh City. Furthermore, in July and August, Vietnamese and Chinese
police rolled up more than 30 gangs involved in trafficking in
persons.

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RAISING AWARENESS
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4. (SBU) In a bid to raise the profile of bilateral anti-trafficking
cooperation, on August 28, 2006, Vietnam and China co-hosted in
Hanoi the first-ever Children's Forum on Anti-Trafficking in Women
and Children Across Borders. The initiative was jointly sponsored
by the Vietnam Women's Union and All-China Women's Federation, with
support from UNICEF. Over 120 children between the ages of 11 and
18 from the border provinces of Lang Son, Lao Cai, Lai Chau and Hung
Yen of Vietnam, and Guangxi and Yunnan of China, participated,
together with government officials from both countries and
representatives from Vietnamese and Chinese mass organizations,
UNICEF country offices in Vietnam and China and international
organizations in Vietnam.

5. (SBU) During this forum, Vietnamese and Chinese children shared
views and concerns about the cross-border trafficking situation.
Messages from the children were presented to Vietnamese and Chinese
officials in the hope of developing new national strategies and
further strengthening cross-border cooperation. Prior to the forum,
the children also participated in a two-day workshop, where they
shared their experiences and discussed the negative impact that
trafficking had on their lives. Speaking at the forum, Vice
Chairwoman of the Vietnam Women's Union Nguyen Thi Oanh said that
"trafficking in women and children flagrantly violates their rights
and we must respect children's views. Children also need to actively

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participate in the prevention of trafficking and combating against
these unacceptable crimes."

6. (SBU) Separately, Vietnamese and Chinese authorities launched
earlier this year a large-scale campaign in their respective border
provinces to raise public awareness about the problem of
cross-border trafficking in persons. According to a Vietnam Women's
Union official, the program has enhanced significantly the local
people's knowledge about the crime. In this official's overall
estimation, "Vietnam and China are working well with each other to
resolve the trafficking issue."

ALOISI

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