VZCZCXRO7380
RR RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHGP #1314/01 1910024
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 100024Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY SINGAPORE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3558
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SINGAPORE 001314 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ETRD PREL PHUM KCRM KOCI KWMN SN
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR LAGON ENCOURAGES GOS TO APPROVE 
ANTI-TIP PENAL CODE AMENDMENTS 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  Ambassador-at-Large for Trafficking in 
Persons (TIP) Mark Lagon urged Singapore to quickly approve 
long-delayed anti-TIP Penal Code Amendments during his June 
29 visit to Singapore.  The GOS explained that the anti-TIP 
provisions are part of comprehensive reform of the Penal Code 
and predicted Parliament would approve the bill sometime in 
the fall of 2007.  Ambassador Lagon also encouraged the GOS 
to improve labor standards and protections for migrant 
workers.  Local NGOs detailed the main problems migrant 
workers sometimes face, such as shifting contract terms and 
high placement fees that can leave workers vulnerable to 
exploitation.  One NGO claimed some women from Cambodia, 
Vietnam and China were trafficked into prostitution, having 
been lured here under false pretenses and then finding 
themselves indebted and with few options.  End Summary. 
 
--------------------- 
Penal Code Amendments 
--------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) Ambassador-at-Large for Trafficking in Persons Mark 
Lagon participated in an interagency meeting with GOS 
counterparts from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry 
of Home Affairs, Ministry of Manpower, and the Ministry for 
Community Development, Youth and Sports during his June 29 
visit to Singapore.  GOS officials offered a lengthy briefing 
on GOS law and programs related to prostitution and illegal 
immigration, some of which did not directly address 
trafficking in persons.  Ambassador Lagon explained why, in 
the 2007 Trafficking in Persons Report, Singapore was 
downgraded from Tier 1 to Tier 2 status.  The principal 
reason, he noted, was that prostitution was legal for 16 and 
17 year olds.  In March 2006, the GOS had unveiled proposed 
amendments to the Penal Code that would bring TIP legislation 
up to international standards by, inter alia, criminalizing 
prostitution involving a minor under the age of 18 and 
extending extra-territorial jurisdiction over Singaporean 
citizens and permanent residents who purchase or solicit 
sexual services from minors overseas.  Ministry of Home 
Affairs officials responded that these provisions were part 
of a comprehensive overhaul of the Penal Code and that issues 
with many other amendments (unrelated to trafficking) had 
taken longer than expected to "iron out."  The officials 
predicted that Parliament would likely approve the Penal Code 
reforms sometime in the fall of 2007. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Lagon noted some other areas in which the GOS could 
better combat trafficking in persons beyond the matter of 
legal prostitution for minors, including invigorating a 
partnership between government and nimble civil society 
organizations, and conceiving of trafficking victims as 
indeed victims rather than primarily criminals or illegal 
aliens.  Lagon assured GOS officials that the USG had, 
despite marked improvements, deficiencies in its own evolving 
domestic anti-trafficking policy, and offered a partnership 
to work together to combat the exploitation of vulnerable 
populations. 
 
-------------------- 
Migrant Labor Issues 
-------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) Ambassador Lagon also encouraged the GOS to take a 
more expansive view of trafficking and to make efforts to 
improve labor standards and protections for migrant workers. 
He suggested that trafficking is not so much about the 
geographic movement of people as it is about the use of 
deception and coercion, which can leave victims highly 
vulnerable.  GOS officials highlighted a number of recent 
efforts to improve standards for migrant workers in 
Singapore, such as the model labor contract for domestic 
workers, direct deposit of salaries, and training programs 
for newly-arrived workers.  When there were allegations of 
worker abuse, the police investigated and intervened 
promptly, they said.  However, in "contractual disputes" over 
the terms of employment, the employer and employee are 
encouraged to pursue mediation first or resolve their dispute 
through the civil courts. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
Protection for Migrant Laborers Limited, NGOs Claim 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶5. (SBU) NGOs such as Humanitarian Organization for Migration 
Economics (HOME) and Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) told 
Ambassador Lagon that recent GOS initiatives had improved the 
situation for migrant workers somewhat, but said they did not 
go far enough and had had a limited impact so far.  They said 
some foreign laborers (largely unskilled or semi-skilled) 
found that contracts terms they were offered upon arrival in 
Singapore differed from what recruiting agents had promised 
 
SINGAPORE 00001314  002 OF 002 
 
 
in their home country.  They asserted that some foreign 
domestic workers owed maid agencies up to a year,s salary 
for placement fees and expenses upon arrival and sometimes 
were forced (illegally) to surrender their passports until 
the debt was repaid.  This could inhibit the worker,s 
ability to leave abusive employers.  Those who did leave and 
file complaints were referred to organizations such as HOME 
for shelter.  Victims who wished to work could obtain a 
special employment pass while their claims were adjudicated, 
but the adjudication process could drag on in some cases for 
years.  The majority had their claims upheld, but were not 
provided any compensation other than the salary owed before 
they left the employer. 
 
------------------------- 
Prostitution in Singapore 
------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) Dr. Edward Job, Founder of the Christian Outreach 
Center, told Ambassador Lagon that many women from Malaysia 
and Indonesia knew they were coming to Singapore to engage in 
prostitution, but that nonetheless they often were severely 
exploited by pimps and loan sharks.  Some women in 
prostitution from nearby Indonesian islands came to Singapore 
to work on weekends and returned to Indonesia during the 
week.  However, in some cases women from Cambodia, Vietnam 
and China were trafficked into the sex trade after being 
lured here with false promises of work in other industries. 
Heavily indebted and lacking other options, they were at the 
mercy of unscrupulous agents who forced them into 
prostitution. 
 
Visit Embassy Singapore's Classified website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eap/singapore/ind ex.cfm 
HERBOLD