VZCZCXRO1787
PP RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHKL #1661/01 2490018
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 060018Z SEP 06
FM AMEMBASSY KUALA LUMPUR
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7481
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KUALA LUMPUR 001661 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PREL PGOV KWMN PREF SMIG MY
SUBJECT: MALAYSIA ANNOUNCES NEW ANTI-TIP MEASURES DURING 
VISIT BY A/S SAUERBREY 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: Assistant Secretary for Population, 
Refugees and Migration Ellen Sauerbrey used her August 24-26 
mission in Kuala Lumpur to press Malaysia to take action on 
trafficking in persons (TIP) and she received new information 
concerning the GOM's current approach.  A senior Internal 
Security Ministry official explained that the GOM recently 
established an interagency coordinating committee for TIP, 
headed by his ministry, and that the committee was weighing 
the recommendation for drafting a new anti-trafficking law, a 
step A/S Sauerbrey strongly encouraged.  The GOM would also 
establish a special wing in a immigration detention facility 
that would house TIP victims.  Subsequently, the Minister of 
Home Affairs and the Minister of Women, Family and Community 
Development (WFCD) announced on August 28 their intention to 
work with the Attorney General's chambers to draft a law to 
address "people smuggling" activities in Malaysia.  The 
ministers also announced that the Home Affairs ministry would 
establish a "protection center for people smuggling victims" 
and that the WFCD ministry would manage the facility.  In A/S 
Sauerbrey's other TIP-related meetings, Indonesia's 
ambassador to Malaysia offered a glimpse inside the expanded 
shelter located on his embassy's compound, and local NGO 
Tenaganita informed A/S 
Sauerbrey that its USG-funded TIP shelter has become fully 
functional.  Septel reports A/S Sauerbrey's engagement on 
refugee issues.  End Summary. 
 
Internal Security Takes on Coordinating Role 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) A/S Sauerbrey raised the need for Malaysia to take 
action on trafficking in persons in meetings with senior 
officials in the Internal Security and Foreign Affairs 
ministries.  Muhammad Hatta bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Secretary 
General of the Ministry of Internal Security (MIS), told A/S 
Sauerbrey during their August 24 meeting that overall 
responsibility for the GOM's anti-TIP efforts had been 
transferred to his ministry from the Ministry of Home 
Affairs.  He stated that the GOM made the transfer because 
Home Affairs viewed the issue only from the perspective of 
immigration documentation, while MIS could better deal with 
trafficking as a national security and law enforcement 
matter, pointing out that the police fall under MIS's 
supervision.  Hatta said he recently chaired the inaugural 
meeting of a new interagency committee that will coordinate 
the GOM's anti-TIP efforts.  The interagency committee 
consists of representatives from the ministries of Internal 
Security, Home Affairs, Health and WFCD; it will coordinate 
its efforts with the Attorney General's office. 
 
Pressing for an Anti-TIP Law 
---------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU) The new committee had met once within the past 
month, Hatta reported, and agreed to further study whether 
the GOM should draft a new anti-TIP law or amend existing 
legislation.  Comments from officials in the room signaled 
support for a new law, but the matter remained before the 
committee.  A/S Sauerbrey strongly backed a comprehensive 
anti-TIP law and described how enactment of such legislation 
in the U.S. greatly facilitated our prosecution of 
traffickers, prevention of trafficking activities and 
protection of victims.  Hatta said he would solicit and 
welcome US expertise and support in drafting Malaysia's 
anti-TIP law, should the GOM decide to pursue this course. 
 
Rescuing and Protecting Victims 
------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) Hatta told A/S Sauerbrey that Malaysian police had 
"rescued" 352 foreign women from vice activities in the 
period 2004 through the present, largely using tip-offs from 
local embassies here, particularly those of Indonesia and 
Thailand.  If foreign embassies report to the police, police 
will take action, he asserted.  With regard to GOM handling 
of these women, he said, "We're trying to give better 
treatment to perceived victims."  Hatta mentioned that the 
GOM had decided to establish a separate area to house women 
and child TIP victims within an illegal migrant detention 
facility in Terengganu 
state in order to provide better treatment.  (Note: On August 
29, the Terengganu detention center's commandant stated that 
no such separate area for TIP victims had yet been 
established in his facility.  End Note.)  A/S Sauerbrey 
emphasized the need to treat and assist victims as victims 
rather than as criminals or illegal migrants. 
 
Changing Pattern of Prostitution 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) Hatta and several police officials described how 
vice syndicates have changed their operations during the past 
 
KUALA LUMP 00001661  002 OF 002 
 
 
two years.  He said the number of brothels has declined due 
to police crackdowns that netted large numbers of prostitutes 
along with brothel owners/operators.  He said the vice 
syndicates now prefer housing women separately from where 
they engage in vice activities.  They remain on call, and are 
transported individually to the customer's location.  This 
physical separation of housing facilities from the locations 
where vice activities are performed has hampered anti-vice 
law enforcement efforts in Malaysia, according to Hatta. 
Local NGO Tenaganita's President, Irene Fernandez, confirmed 
this development and told A/S Sauerbrey that it made efforts 
to locate and rescue TIP victims more difficult. 
 
Ministers Announce Plans for New Law, Protecting Victims 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) In a subsequent development,  the Ministers of Home 
Affairs and WFCD announced two new TIP-related initiatives at 
a joint press conference that followed their meeting on 
August 28.  They said they would hold discussions with the 
Attorney General's chambers to consider drafting a new law to 
"curb human smuggling."  The Minister of WFCD, Shahrizat 
Abdul Jalil, also announced that the Minister of Home 
Affairs, Radzi Sheikh Ahmad, had agreed during their meeting 
"to establish a protection center" for victims of trafficking 
that will be managed by the WFCD ministry.  She said she also 
requested that Radzi separate victims of human smuggling from 
other detainees in police cells and illegal migrant detention 
facilities. 
 
Meetings with Indonesian Ambassador and NGO Tenaganita 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) Indonesia's Ambassador to Malaysia, Rusdihardjo, 
told A/S Sauerbrey during their August 25 meeting that his 
embassy had expanded its shelter for female Indonesian 
victims of trafficking and labor abuse.  The shelter is 
located on the embassy compound and has a capacity of up to 
160 women.  He allowed us a glimpse inside the facility, 
which contains 7 rooms filled with bunk beds.  It housed 
approximately 150 women and girls during our visit, including 
a 13 year-old girl whom Rusdihardjo claimed had been 
trafficked into prostitution.  He said most of the women and 
girls in the shelter would remain there an average of 2-4 
weeks, until the Indonesian embassy could obtain exit 
documentation from the GOM. 
 
¶8. (SBU) During A/S Sauerbrey's August 25 meeting with 
Tenaganita's Fernandez, the NGO leader stated that the 
USG-funded TIP shelter was now fully operational and 
sheltered 18 women, most of whom were Vietnamese.  She said 
Tenaganita's cooperation with police, immigration and WFCD 
Ministry officials remained excellent. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Comment:  A/S Sauerbrey's meetings with the Internal 
Security and Foreign Affairs ministries, and with the 
Indonesian embassy and Tenaganita, underscored strong U.S. 
support for anti-TIP action by the GOM.  The TIP developments 
we learned of during and following A/S Sauerbrey's mission 
reflect greater senior-level GOM attention to trafficking 
crimes.  Cabinet officials speaking about a possible 
anti-trafficking law and also planning some measures intended 
to protect victims represent new openings for our engagement. 
SHEAR