VZCZCXRO1294
PP RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #1909/01 1940008
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 130008Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5409
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 0893
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 1579
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC
RUEAWJB/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
ZEN/AMCONSUL SURABAYA
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 JAKARTA 001909
SIPDIS
FROM AMCONSUL SURABAYA 0072
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/IET, EAP/RSP, G/TIP, DS/IP/EAP, DS/CR/VF,
DS/CR/PF, DS/ICI/CI, DS/ICI/CR
ALSO FOR USAID ANE/SPOTS, ANE/SEA, IGAT/WID, DCHA/DG
DEPT OF JUSTICE FOR ICITAP AND OPDAT
DEPT PASS TO DEPT OF LABOR FOR ILAB
E.O. 12958: NA
TAGS: ASEC PGOV PHUM ELAB EAID KJUS KCRM KCOR ID
SUBJECT: East Java - Joint Police Anti-Human Trafficking Operations
Commence
Reftel: Jakarta 1130
Operation Triple X
1. (SBU) SUMMARY: ConGen Surabaya launched a joint operation with
local police May 29 targeting East Java human trafficking (TIP)
rings. The primary goal is rescuing some of the thousands of child
prostitutes in Surabaya and arresting traffickers, pimps and child
sex tourists. Operation XXX initiative is beginning to show results
with four raids completed. Police are also displaying greater
awareness and enthusiasm for investigating and arresting
traffickers. Previously strained relations between our NGO contacts
and police are improving with increased cooperation. We see the
success of the first joint operation as an excellent first step and
are planning another in Surabaya's Kendungdoro prostitution district
for September. END SUMMARY
ConGen Surabaya Supports Anti-TIP Operation
-------------------------------------------
2. (SBU) Local anti-human trafficking (TIP) NGOs and the East Java
provincial government estimate there are thousands of child
prostitutes in Surabaya and thousands more transiting through
Surabaya to acquire false documents before shipment to Malaysia or
the Middle East. As a part of ConGen Surabaya's on-going Operation
XXX, combating document fraud associated with visa fraud and
trafficking in persons (TIP) in eastern Indonesia, RSO Kevin
Whitson, Pol/Econoff Dave Williams and, DOJ ICITAP launched a May 29
joint operation with 29 East Java provincial police detectives
targeted at rescuing child prostitutes and arresting human
traffickers and child sex tourists in Surabaya's Dolly/Jarak red
light district. This ongoing joint undercover surveillance operation
is designed to identify, target, apprehend and prosecute American
citizens and Indonesian citizens who are actively involved in the
child sex tourism child sex exploitation, trade and child
pornography in the Dolly, Jarak and, Kedungdoro areas.
3. (SBU) Prior to these child sex tourism raids and arrests,
Operation XXX has led to police raiding 28 organized criminal groups
involved in counterfeit documents, ID's, fraudulently obtained
Indonesian Passports operations and the arrest of 107 suspects. The
continuation of Operation XXX is also intended to promote strong
police action against human traffickers, child prostitution brothel
owners and child sex tourists and to rescue child victims from the
brothels and place them in TIP victim shelters. Post is working
closely with police to support aggressive use of Indonesia's new
anti-TIP legislation, signed by President Yudhoyono in April 2007
(Reftel). Police had not felt able to aggressively pursue human
traffickers prior to the new legislation.
4. (SBU) Police, using intelligence provided by ConGen Surabaya
anti-TIP NGO contacts and information gathered from interviewing
document fraud suspects, and street contacts, began surveillance of
the most notorious child prostitution brothels in Dolly/Jarak.
ConGen Surabaya and DOJ ICITAP officers, posing as potential "sex
tourist" clients, entered several brothels to gather information on
the location and numbers of underage girls in each establishment.
Officers also gathered information on the numbers and nationalities
of sex tourist clients in the different brothels. This information
was relayed to police for further investigation and follow-up.
Police decided to focus surveillance on several brothels catering to
child sex tourism rather than make immediate raids and risk tipping
off other brothel owners. RSO maintains close contacts with
provincial and local police working on the joint project.
ConGen Intelligence Prompts TIP Raids
-------------------------------------
5. (SBU) In June, police began raiding identified child prostitution
brothels in Dolly/Jarak. The first two raids produced arrests of
four human traffickers, two pimps selling child prostitutes and the
rescue of two child prostitutes. Surabaya Metro Police raided a
brothel named "Setia 22-an" in Jarak. The police arrested two
traffickers named Erni Armindi and her husband Sobri. They were
caught selling two girls to a brothel, 13 and 15 years old,
receiving payment of $167 for the 13year-old and $83 for the 15
JAKARTA 00001909 002 OF 003
year-old. They also admitted selling 5 or 6 girls to the same
brothel on prior occasions. Armindi told police she acquired false
ID cards from a Surabaya document vendor, changing the girls' ages
and their home addresses to the brothel's address. The rescued
child prostitutes were taken to a USAID-funded shelter for TIP
victims run by Genta Foundation. The shelter provides psychological
counseling and reintegration assistance to successfully return the
girls to their villages and prevent re-trafficking back to Surabaya.
6. (SBU) East Java police leaders have come out publicly with strong
directives to go after human traffickers in the province even prior
to issuance of implementing regulations for the new anti-TIP law.
East Java Police Chief Herman Sumawiredja told RSO in a recent
meeting that one of his top priorities is to combat human
trafficking and child sex tourism in the city of Surabaya. Though
prodded to start the operation, police have willingly participated
and have begun providing leadership in the investigation. Police
are receiving positive local media feedback for their role in
combating human trafficking.
Building Trust Between NGO's and Police
---------------------------------------
7. (SBU) An important aspect of Operation XXX is developing positive
working relationships between anti-TIP NGOs working in Surabaya's
red light districts and police. Both civilian and military police
have long histories of profiting from the Surabaya sex trade through
providing protection to and actually partnering with brothel owners.
Police regularly harassed NGOs assisting sex workers and directly
collected debt bonds on behalf of pimps from girls trying to escape.
Girls unable to pay their debt bond were returned to their
brothel's owner by police. Through Operation XXX, we have
identified police precincts willing to take action against
traffickers and their police colleagues. It took our long-standing
relationships with local anti-human trafficking NGOs and assurances
that we had thoroughly vetted police before the NGOs agreed to
participate in the operation. As the operation delivers results and
anti-TIP NGOs see police acting to free girls and bring them to
shelters, we believe that ConGen Surabaya's role as a liaison
between police and NGOs will diminish. We have at least one report
of an anti-TIP NGO directly offering police information on recent
TIP victims arriving in Surabaya.
ConGen Surabaya's Anti-TIP Plans
--------------------------------
8. (SBU) Local police remain enthusiastic to expand the cooperation
to other prostitution areas in Surabaya. Police raids on
Dolly/Jarak brothels and our NGO contacts have developed specific
information on the Kedungdoro prostitution area of Surabaya, which
caters specifically to child prostitution and sex tourism. Police
estimate 600-1,000 child prostitutes work in this three-block area
of Kedungdoro. NGO contacts have identified brothels specializing
in child prostitution for ex-pat clients. Our joint operation in
Kedungdoro is scheduled for September. Police hope to continue
regular operations in the 5 or 6 largest prostitution areas in the
city.
A Good Start
------------
9. (SBU) Operation XXX is successfully supporting police to more
actively pursue human traffickers and establishing positive
connections between NGOs and police. Provincial police leadership
directives are increasing local police awareness of human
trafficking as a crime. Police see high profile media attention
from trafficking arrests as potentially career enhancing and seem
motivated to use the new trafficking law. While NGOs continue
urging police to be more ambitious arresting traffickers, they have
not reported any recriminations by police for participating in the
joint operation. We see this positive result from the joint
operation as an important first step in Indonesia's fight against
human trafficking.
JAKARTA 00001909 003.2 OF 003
10. (SBU) Comment: To date, this brings a total of 30 police raids
of Surabaya-area criminal groups done in cooperation with Surabaya
city Police. Indonesian police support to these anti-fraud/criminal
operations continues to be outstanding. These arrests bring to 113
the total number of individuals arrested in connection with criminal
activities.
11. (SBU) Additional information will be reported SEPTEL. THE POC
for this cable is RSO Kevin Whitson; Pol/Econ TIP Officer David
Williams and can be reached at 62-31-295-6400.
WHITSON/HUME