VZCZCXRO5337
OO RUEHCN RUEHGH RUEHVC
DE RUEHBJ #7545/01 3530614
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 190614Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4095
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUEHCHI/AMCONSUL CHIANG MAI 0051

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BEIJING 007545 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PREL KCRM KWMN ELAB PGOV PREL CH
BM, VT, LA, TH, CB 
SUBJECT: TIP: COORDINATED MEKONG MINISTERIAL 
INITIATIVE AGAINST TRAFFICKING DISCUSSES SUB- 
REGIONAL ACTION PLAN IN BEIJING 
 
BEIJING 00007545  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1. (SBU) At the Coordinated Mekong Ministerial 
Initiative against Trafficking (COMMIT) Senior 
Officials Meeting (SOM) and Inter Ministerial 
Meeting (IMM) in Beijing December 12-14, delegates 
from Burma, Cambodia, China, Laos, Thailand and 
Vietnam discussed regional cooperation and 
coordination on trafficking in persons issues and 
highlighted the steps their respective countries 
have taken to implement the Sub-regional Plan of 
Action (SPA).  Ministers from the COMMIT countries 
signed a Joint Declaration committing to work 
together to implement the SPA and emphasized the 
importance of consulting civil society and victim 
representatives in national and regional plans to 
combat trafficking.  End Summary. 
 
¶2.  The Coordinated Mekong Ministerial Initiative 
against Trafficking (COMMIT) Senior Officials 
Meeting (SOM) and Inter Ministerial Meeting (IMM) 
were held in Beijing December 12-14.  PolOffs 
attended as observers. 
 
SOM Reviews National Activities 
------------------------------- 
 
¶3. At the SOM opening ceremony, Ministry of Public 
Security Vice Minister Zhang Xinfeng praised the 
role of COMMIT in fighting trafficking in persons 
and outlined two objectives for the Beijing COMMIT 
meeting: review each country's progress in 
implementing the Sub-regional Plan of Action (SPA) 
and discuss planning for the next SPA phase.  UNDP 
Country Director Subinay Nandy emphasized a victim- 
centered, rights-based approach to combating 
trafficking, saying this is the "very heart" of the 
COMMIT process.  Following the opening remarks, 
officials from each COMMIT country briefed on the 
steps their respective countries have taken to 
implement the SPA.  Highlights from each country's 
report follow: 
 
-- Burma: Burmese officials said Burma established 
an anti-trafficking unit within the Burma Police 
Force, developed bilateral MOUs with Thailand and 
China and sent officials to various trafficking- 
related training programs.  They noted that Burma's 
National Action Plan and implementation plan are 
awaiting review and approval by the cabinet and 
described as a "milestone" the enactment of an anti- 
trafficking law that criminalizes "all forms of 
trafficking."  The Burmese officials said a Border 
Liaison Office dedicated to trafficking was opened 
with China at Muse. 
 
-- Cambodia: Ministry of Women's Affairs Secretary 
of State You Ay said Cambodia established a new 
national taskforce to implement bilateral and 
multilateral MOUs for the elimination of trafficking 
and created a National Leading Working Group led by 
the Deputy Prime Minister to oversee the 
implementation of all anti-trafficking activities. 
She described training programs attended by 
government and NGO officials.  Between January and 
November 2007, police conducted 101 trafficking- 
related operations, arresting 55 offenders, she 
stated.  In August, the Council of Ministers 
approved a new draft law on the suppression of human 
trafficking and sexual exploitation. 
 
-- China: Ministry of Public Security (MPS) Criminal 
Investigation Department Director General Du Hangwei 
emphasized China's new MPS Office for Preventing and 
Combating Crimes of Trafficking in Women and 
Children and China's National Plan of Action (NPA). 
He stated that the NPA is China?s first national 
anti-trafficking document and will be implemented by 
twenty-eight government agencies.  He described a 
number of anti-trafficking awareness campaigns that 
took place in China.  Du said Chinese government 
officials attended several trafficking-related 
workshops and noted that China is developing pilot 
projects to improve assistance and recovery for 
victims. 
 
-- Laos: Police Department Deputy Director General 
Kiengkham Inphengthavong said Laos's National Plan 
 
BEIJING 00007545  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
of Action is being finalized with help from the 
Netherlands and will be completed in early to mid- 
¶2008.  He described several training programs for 
Laos officials and bilateral efforts with Thailand 
to combat trafficking. 
 
-- Thailand: National Center on Prevention and 
Suppression of Human Trafficking Director Rarinthip 
Sirorat said Thailand tasked the Ministry of Social 
Development and Human Security to implement the SPA 
and set up a national inter-ministerial COMMIT task 
force.  Sirorat noted that a pilot program 
established to identify and trace missing persons 
has been extended for another four months (until 
January 2008) following an internal review. 
Thailand also passed the Act on Prevention and 
Suppression of Human Trafficking which includes men 
in the definition of human trafficking.  The law was 
passed on November 28 and is expected to be enacted 
in April 2008. 
 
-- Vietnam:  Ministry of Public Security General 
Department of Police Deputy Director General Nguyen 
Hoa Binh reported that Vietnam made efforts to bring 
its definition of "trafficked victim" into agreement 
with international standards.  Vietnam and China 
conducted campaigns to combat trafficking along 
their mutual border, and Vietnam and Thailand 
negotiated a draft agreement on combating 
trafficking in persons that is expected to be signed 
in Hanoi in early 2008. 
 
¶4. During a question and answer session for 
delegations and NGO representatives (that was closed 
to the press), anonymous, written questions were 
addressed to all delegations, although Burma 
responded to nearly every question.  The Burmese 
delegation said (in response to various questions) 
that Burma supports including Malaysia in future 
COMMIT meetings, intends to work with as many UN 
agencies as possible on trafficking, plans to 
include youth in policy planning and supports the 
role of NGOs in the fight against trafficking. 
 
¶5. On December 13, the second day of the COMMIT, 
which was closed to Embassy observers, delegations 
discussed the outcome of the Mekong Youth Forum, the 
second phase of the SPA and a draft Joint 
Declaration. 
 
IMM: Joint Declaration Agreed 
----------------------------- 
 
¶6. On the COMMIT meeting's last day, during the 
Inter Ministerial Meeting, ministers provided brief 
remarks on the COMMIT process.  The session included 
a keynote address by China's Minister of Public 
Security Meng Jianzhu.  Meng announced that the PRC 
State Council had approved China's National Plan of 
Action to combat trafficking and said the plan will 
be made public in the near future.  He stressed the 
importance of COMMIT countries improving 
repatriation procedures, but said legal issues and 
security concerns remain obstacles to this process. 
He noted that integrating trafficking victims back 
into society is a significant challenge.  UN 
Resident Coordinator Khalid Malik stressed the 
relationship between poverty and trafficking, saying 
"the fight against human trafficking is also a fight 
against poverty."  Malik said political will from 
the highest levels of government is crucial to 
combat trafficking.  In their five-minute remarks, 
the ministers all reiterated their country's 
commitment to COMMIT and regional efforts to combat 
trafficking in persons. 
 
¶7. The Joint Declaration, which each minister signed 
at the conclusion of the IMM, reaffirmed COMMIT's 
commitment to combating trafficking in persons in 
the region, included a provision emphasizing the 
importance of consulting civil society and victim 
representatives in national and regional plans for 
combating trafficking and pledged to place the 
rights of the individual at the center of policy and 
law.  (Note: A copy of the Joint Declaration was 
sent to EAP/CM.)  An International Labor 
Organization official told us the Joint 
Declaration's mention of civil society and victims 
in national and regional plans is an important 
 
BEIJING 00007545  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
development that he is pleased to see.  (Note: NGO 
views on the COMMIT will be reported septel.) 
 
RANDT