VZCZCXRO8673
RR RUEHDT RUEHPB
DE RUEHHM #0874/01 2360453
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 240453Z AUG 07
FM AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3020
INFO RUEHHI/AMEMBASSY HANOI 2132
RUCNARF/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE
RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY 3225

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HO CHI MINH CITY 000874 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EAP/MLS, DS/ICI/CR/OCI AND DS/IP/EAP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KCRM SOCI CVIS VM
SUBJECT: CONSULATES REPORT SIGNIFICANT ADVANCES IN LAW ENFORCEMENT 
COOPERATION IN HCMC 
 
REF: (A) HCMC 00796 (B) STATE 099332 
 
HO CHI MIN 00000874  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY:  During the most recent law enforcement and 
security coordinating meeting among Consulates General in Ho Chi 
Minh City, law enforcement personnel from participating 
Consulates described the atmosphere for active cooperation with 
GVN authorities as difficult but considerably better than in 
past years.  The Australian, French and British Consulates all 
reported numerous areas of improved cooperation and offered 
numerous specific examples of successful cooperation in areas 
such as drug enforcement and document fraud.  Over the past 18 
months, in particular, the improved atmosphere for cooperation 
has led directly to numerous arrests both in Vietnam and abroad. 
 END SUMMARY. 
 
The HCMC TransNational Crime Forum 
---------------------------------- 
¶2. (U) On August 22, the Australian Consul General in Ho Chi 
Minh City (HCMC) hosted the quarterly meeting of the HCMC 
TransNational Crime Forum, an informal grouping consisting of 
staff from a number of the larger consulates in HCMC.  With its 
police liaison unit staffed by two Australian Federal Police 
(AFP) officers, its robust consular anti-fraud unit and its 
considerable resources for law enforcement training, the 
Australian Consulate General has the most active roster of law 
enforcement activities of any Consulate in HCMC. 
 
Cooperation Better -- But Still Not Great 
----------------------------------------- 
¶3. (U) The senior AFP officer in Vietnam described his country's 
robust program of cooperation with the Vietnamese as having 
blossomed over the past 18 months.  While Hanoi remains the base 
for planning national programs and policy liaison, the opening 
of an AFP office in HCMC in 2004 has led to a number of 
significant breakthroughs -- as well as many frustrating 
opportunities missed.  Over the last 18 month, in particular, 
constant efforts at cooperation and training have begun to bear 
fruit, despite changes in personnel on the Vietnamese side in 
HCMC that have hampered progress. 
 
¶4. (SBU) As examples of successful cooperation, he cited the 
interdiction of 20 "internal drug couriers" or "mules" over the 
past few years compared to zero as of 2003.  Good cooperation on 
drug enforcement cases has also led to numerous arrests of drug 
dealers in both Vietnam and Australia.  Thanks to both 
information and training from the AFP, the Vietnamese recently 
made their first ever arrest for smuggling amphetamine 
precursors -- a crime they did not even understand a year ago. 
In this case, a 200 kilogram package of crushed OTC cold 
medicine was seized that could have been used to produce 140 kg 
of illicit drugs.  The GVN has also agreed to return two 
Vietnamese-born Australians to Australia for prosecution and the 
Australians have agreed to help prosecute other 
Vietnamese-Australians in Vietnam.  Both the French and British 
consulates reported similar successes in cooperation aimed at 
obtaining prosecutions in either Vietnam or in their home 
countries. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Other areas where law enforcement liaison operations 
between Australia and Vietnam are showing at least some success 
are programs to combat trafficking in women and children and the 
prosecution of pedophiles.  An area of more recent success cited 
by the Australians, French and Canadians concerned document 
fraud.  Australia has provided training and equipment to help 
the Vietnamese police to track fraudulent documents and all 
three countries reported successes when they requested 
assistance from the Ministry of Public Security (MPS)  in 
determining the authenticity of a variety of documents such as 
business licenses, marriage certificates and drivers' licenses. 
In one notable case, a counterfeit operation that had been 
providing false business registration documents to applicants 
for Australian visas was broken up and its operators sentenced 
to 10 years in prison for counterfeiting GVN documents and seals. 
 
¶6. (SBU) The area where several Consulates agreed that the 
Vietnamese are making the biggest strides is in detecting 
fraudulent documents.  Equipped with a new Australian-supplied 
document laboratory, Vietnam has volunteered to host a special 
ASEAN forum on combating document fraud to be held late this 
year.  While cooperation is possible in a number of areas, the 
GVN is particularly prompt in responding to requests to 
determine the validity of business registrations and related 
documents since combating business fraud is a major GVN law 
enforcement goal. 
 
¶7. (SBU) All Consulates with active law enforcement liaison 
operations lamented that cooperation certainly could be better. 
They cited personnel changes in HCMC that took place last year 
as a step back due entirely to the personalities involved -- the 
 
HO CHI MIN 00000874  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
former senior police officials were simply easier to deal with. 
Consulates also reported that cooperation remains spotty.  While 
the GVN will usually reply to requests for assistance, there are 
times when requests go unanswered and attempts at follow-up are 
fruitless. 
 
Areas for Future Cooperation 
---------------------------- 
¶8. (SBU) The French, in particular, have an aggressive training 
program centered on intellectual property rights violations. 
They are providing ongoing training and laboratory equipment to 
detect counterfeit products ranging from spirits to cosmetics 
and have sponsored participation by Vietnamese police in 
numerous international fora. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Turning to intra-Consulate coordination, both the 
French Consul General and senior French National Police officer 
at the Consulate gave an open invitation for cooperation with 
other Consulates on programs aimed at combating IPR violations 
and improving the climate for IPR protection.  Similarly, the 
Australian senior AFP officer expressed a willingness to meet 
with law enforcement counterparts from other nations to share 
more detailed experience and insights.  He also offered to make 
some documents available to law enforcement personnel at other 
Consulates, such as detailed information on a recent major drug 
lab bust. 
 
¶10. (SBU) COMMENT: ConGen HCMC found this meeting highly 
valuable and the insights into areas of improved cooperation 
will undoubtedly help our future operations, particularly in the 
Consular Section's Anti-Fraud Unit.  The anticipated arrival of 
an A/RSO-I (reftels) will help enormously in cementing better 
relations with local law enforcement.  We also plan to look for 
ways to take up offers of cooperation made by the various other 
participating Consulates.  END COMMENT. 
 
¶11. (U) This cable was coordinate with Embassy Hanoi. 
FAIRFAX