VZCZCXRO2296
PP RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHPF #1426/01 3251119
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 211119Z NOV 07
FM AMEMBASSY PHNOM PENH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 1635

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PHNOM PENH 001426 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/MLS AND PRM 
U.S. MISSION GENEVA FOR RMA 
BANGKOK FOR REFCOORD 
HO CHI MINH CITY FOR REFCOORD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREF PREL CB
SUBJECT: PRM ADMISSIONS OFFICER VISITS CAMBODIA UNHCR AND 
IOM 
 
REF: PHNOM PENH 1270 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED.  NOT FOR INTERNET DISSEMINATION. 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary.  On November 19, PRM Office of Admissions 
Program Officer for Southeast Asia Margaret Burkhardt met 
with the Phnom Penh UNHCR and IOM offices to discuss the 
impact of the Montagnard action plan six months after its May 
1 implementation date.  UNHCR reported an increase in 
Montagnard arrivals to Phnom Penh since the implementation 
date, and a lack of staff to keep up processing of the recent 
influx.  UNHCR requested expeditious U.S. processing of the 
last 130 Montagnard individuals who arrived prior to May 1. 
During visits to Phnom Penh sites for Montagnards, it was 
apparent that the Montagnards there had daily access to UNHCR 
staff and implementing NGO partner staff.  The UNHCR staff 
appeared to have good communication with the Montagnards at 
the sites and seemed responsive to requests.  End summary. 
 
INCREASE IN ARRIVALS 
-------------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) PRM Office of Admissions Program Officer for 
Southeast Asia Margaret Burkhardt visited Phnom Penh on 
November 19 to assess the Montagnard action plan six months 
on.  To date, none of the 221 individuals who arrived in 
Cambodia after the May 1 cutoff date have been processed by 
UNHCR due to a backlog of previous cases.  However, UNHCR 
Representative Thamrongsak Meechubot told Burkhardt that he 
believed the new policy may have encouraged a recent uptick 
in direct arrivals to Phnom Penh.  He speculated that 
Montagnards in the Central Highlands fear that the window to 
access resettlement opportunities in the U.S. is closing, 
prompting decisions to seek asylum now.  Post described the 
increase in arrivals in reftel.  UNHCR provided updated 
information to Burkhardt showing there have been 310 new 
arrivals since January (compared to 277 over the entire year 
of 2006) and 77 percent of those arrived directly to Phnom 
Penh. 
 
PLANNED DECREASE IN UNHCR STAFF 
------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Meechubot stated that the UNHCR Phnom Penh office 
is bracing for staff turnover of two positions and a staff 
decrease of one protection officer position starting in 
December.  The staffing change is expected to compound the 
current backlog in UNHCR processing of Montagnards. 
Meechubot provided a chart of average processing times for 
Montagnard cases showing: 8 days from arrival at the UNHCR to 
the date of registration; 55 days from registration to the 
date of first instance decision; and, 98 days from the first 
decision to the date of an appeal decision.  UNHCR processing 
time has exceeded these averages in recent weeks because of 
the increase in caseload.  In particular, UNHCR has been 
giving priority to first instance decisions, thereby 
increasing the amount of time for appeal decisions. 
According to UNHCR's November 19 report, there are 146 
individuals (125 cases) currently pending first instance 
decisions and 35 individuals (31 cases) pending appeal 
decisions. 
 
REQUEST FOR SPEEDY U.S. PROCESSING FOR PRE-MAY 1 ARRIVALS 
--------------------------------------------- ------------ 
 
¶4.  (SBU) UNHCR Phnom Penh has provided the names of 100 
individuals who arrived prior to May 1 and who have been 
screened out by UNHCR.  UNHCR predicted it will provide 
decisions on the final 30 names of individuals who arrived 
prior to May 1 during the first week of December.  UNHCR 
requested an expeditious resolution of these last 130 
individuals through a decrease in U.S. processing time. 
 
VISIT TO PHNOM PENH SITES FOR MONTAGNARDS 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) UNHCR Phnom Penh staff escorted Burkhardt to two 
out of three Phnom Penh sites for Montagnard asylum seekers. 
At both sites, it was apparent that the Montagnards 
temporarily residing there had daily access to UNHCR staff 
and implementing NGO partner staff.  The UNHCR staff appeared 
to have good communication with the Montagnards and seemed 
responsive to requests.  The staff addressed many of the 
Montagnards by name, and a few of the Montagnard individuals 
approached the site staff with apparent ease during the 
 
PHNOM PENH 00001426  002 OF 002 
 
 
visit.  There were bulletin boards standing in central areas 
of both sites with schedules for the most recent resettlement 
departures, medical exams, and food provision.  The 
Montagnards at the site appeared in good health and reported 
no complaints during the visit.  A UNHCR protection officer 
told Burkhardt that each site had a box for comments and 
letters, and that UNHCR staff had personally been handed 
letters from individuals at the sites at various times in the 
past. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) UNHCR staff at the Phnom Penh sites requested the 
opportunity to sit in on the International Organization for 
Migration (IOM) cultural orientations presented to 
Montagnards accepted for resettlement in the U.S.  Burkhardt 
met with IOM Chief of Mission Iuliana Stefan and passed on 
this request.  Stefan was receptive to the idea and suggested 
IOM may do a separate cultural orientation just for UNHCR 
staff at the sites. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶7.  (SBU)  It is unfortunate that the recent increase in 
direct arrivals to UNHCR in Phnom Penh will coincide with the 
imminent decrease in staff at the UNHCR Phnom Penh office. 
UNHCR Representative Thamrongsak Meechubot stated that more 
than half of the 2007 arrivals who have received refugee 
status determinations (RSDs) have been rejected for refugee 
status.  If this trend continues, and if processing times 
lengthen, many Montagnards will be lingering in the Phnom 
Penh sites for ever-increasing periods only to eventually be 
repatriated back to Vietnam.  The good rapport between UNHCR 
staff and Montagnards at the Phnom Penh sites was reassuring 
and there was good information flow about the UNHCR refugee 
status determination and repatriation processes. 
MUSSOMELI