VZCZCXRO6798
OO RUEHBI
DE RUEHLM #1450/01 2961011
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 231011Z OCT 07
FM AMEMBASSY COLOMBO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7051
INFO RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN PRIORITY 0557
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA PRIORITY 0476
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RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 001450 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INS, G/TIP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER PHUM MOPS CE
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA:  AMBASSADOR LAUNCHES US-FUNDED 
TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS INITIATIVE 
 
REF: A. COLOMBO 1304 
 
     ¶B. COLOMBO 1188 
     ¶C. STATE 113842 
     ¶D. AND PREVIOUS 
 
¶1.  Summary.  Ambassador on October 18 hosted a press event 
to launch a Department of State and USAID-funded 
anti-trafficking program implemented by the International 
Organization for Migration (IOM). The event received wide 
coverage in the Sri Lankan media. The Sri Lanka Police's 
Women's and Children's Bureau Director A.R. Waidyalankara 
said the GSL considers trafficking in persons to be a "very 
serious issue," and welcomed the new program.  He also noted 
that a GSL coordinating committee on trafficking will soon be 
formed.  IOM announced that it will co-host with the GSL a 
roundtable event in mid-November to raise awareness within 
the government and promote support for a national 
anti-trafficking policy.  The GSL coordination committee, 
roundtable in November, and proposed national policy on 
trafficking are all welcome steps in addressing Sri Lanka's 
TIP problem.  End Summary. 
 
¶2.  Ambassador on October 18 hosted a press event to launch a 
U.S. funded anti-trafficking program implemented by IOM.  The 
$500,000 project, co-funded by USAID and the Department of 
State, will train 500 law enforcement and government 
officials on human trafficking; improve methods of data 
collection, dissemination, and tracking; and enhance 
coordination among government and nongovermental 
organizations.  The press event was extensively covered by 
all three of Sri Lanka's English-language daily newspapers, 
two Sinhala and two Tamil newspapers, as well as several 
television and radio stations. 
 
¶3.  IOM's new Chief of Mission in Sri Lanka Mohamed Adbiker 
noted the need to curb human trafficking in Sri Lanka before 
it reaches epidemic proportions.  He said that war, 
unemployment, and natural disasters have increased Sri 
Lankans' vulnerability to trafficking. 
 
¶4.  Director of the Sri Lanka Police's Women's and Children's 
Bureau A.R. Waidyalankara said the GSL considers trafficking 
in persons to be a "very serious issue."  He welcomed the new 
program, which he said "will help us more vigorously identify 
and prosecute the perpetrators of human trafficking." 
Waidyalankara also noted that a GSL coordinating committee on 
trafficking will soon be formed.  Headed by the Ministry of 
Women's Empowerment and Child Development, the body will 
monitor trafficking issues, identify challenges and make 
policy decisions to address those issues, he said. 
 
¶5.  Ambassador commended the GSL on its efforts to address 
human trafficking including amending its penal code in April 
2006 to criminalize trafficking crimes in compliance with UN 
Trafficking Protocol standards and ratifying the South Asian 
regional convention on Preventing and Combating Trafficking 
in Women and Children for Prostitution.  He noted, however, 
that "Sri Lanka needs a better trained network of law 
enforcement professionals to establish legal grounds under 
which instigators of trafficking can be identified and 
prosecuted under the law."  The initiative that was being 
announced will, he said, "help train Government of Sri Lanka 
officials to pursue criminal investigations and prosecutions 
of trafficking offenses more aggressively." 
 
¶6.  On October 18, Poloff attended a coordination meeting at 
IOM to discuss the implementation of this project.  This 
monthly meeting is attended by the Embassy, USAID, Salvation 
Army, Solidarity Center, the Sri Lanka Police, the Foreign 
Employment Bureau, the Attorney General's department, and 
other relevant GSL agencies.  IOM announced that it will 
co-host with the GSL a roundtable event in mid-November to 
bring together even more stakeholders and interested 
 
COLOMBO 00001450  002 OF 002 
 
 
organizations. The event will focus on raising awareness of 
traficking within the GSL, and attempt to get buy-in rom 
various parts of the GSL on a national anti-rafficking 
policy. 
 
¶7.  COMMENT:  The launch o this joint Department of State 
and USAID anti-trafficking program was well publicized and 
well reeived.  We were pleased that the Sri Lanka police 
chose to participate and state publicly the GSL'sintent to 
proactively address human trafficking. The GSL coordination 
committee, roundtable in November, and proposed national 
policy on traffickig are all welcome steps in addressing the 
TIP prblem.  Post will continue to closely coordinate with 
the GSL, as well as IOM, on these efforts. 
MOORE