VZCZCXRO9452
RR RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHHI #0429/01 1050806
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 140806Z APR 08 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7612
INFO RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH 4585
RUEHZS/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE
RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK 6312
RUEHPF/AMEMBASSY PHNOM PENH 3741

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 000429 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/MLS AND G/TIP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PGOV TIP ELAB PREL KWMN KCRM SMIG PREL TH VM
 
SUBJECT: VIETNAM SIGNS ANTI-TIP COOPERATION MOU WITH THAILAND 
 
REFS:  07 HANOI 1594 ("Vietnam to Draft New TIP Law, Improve 
Inter-Agency Cooperation") 
 
HANOI 00000429  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
¶1. (SBU) On March 24, the Government of Vietnam (GVN) signed a 
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Royal Thai Government 
(RTG) on strengthening cooperation between the two countries on 
eliminating trafficking in persons (TIP) and providing assistance to 
TIP victims.  According to Senior Lieutenant Colonel Le Van Chuong, 
Chief of the GVN's National Steering Committee on anti-TIP, the 
signing of the MOU was "necessary and important" for both Vietnam 
and Thailand.  Chuong said it expressed the two countries' 
determination to crack down on well-known Vietnamese and Thai 
criminal networks trafficking women and children from Vietnam to 
brothels in Thailand or for transit to a third country.  The 
long-awaited agreement also seeks to prevent the exploitation of 
illegal migrants coming to Thailand from Vietnam.  The MOU, which 
follows on similar anti-TIP MOUs the GVN signed with Cambodia (2005) 
and China (2006) respectively, was praised by the International 
Organization for Migration (IOM) in Hanoi.  End Summary. 
 
THE MOU's NUTS AND BOLTS 
------------------------ 
 
¶2. (SBU) On the occasion of the Thai Prime Minister's official visit 
to Vietnam on March 24, Vietnamese Vice Minister of Public Security 
Le The Tiem together with his Thai counterpart signed a state-level 
MOU on bilateral cooperation for suppressing crimes of trafficking 
in persons and assisting victims of trafficking.  The MOU specifies 
measures that both sides will undertake to eliminate TIP, including 
necessary legal reform to ensure that the countries' legal 
frameworks conform with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 
the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the UN Convention on 
the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) 
and other international human rights instruments which both sides 
have ratified.  The MOU also establishes procedures the two 
countries will take to help TIP victims return to their home country 
and reintegrate into the community. 
 
¶3. (SBU) According to the MOU, each side will designate an 
implementing agency. The implementing agency for Vietnam will be the 
Ministry of Public Security and, for Thailand, the Ministry of 
Social Development and Human Security.  A task force including 
representatives from both sides will be established to initiate 
strategies, guidelines and other necessary frameworks to implement 
the agreement; to make recommendations for coordination measures; to 
monitor and assess the implementation of the agreement; and to 
review implementation of the MOU every five years. 
 
GVN's DETERMINATION TO ADDRESS ISSUE 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶4. (SBU) Talking about the newly-signed MOU, Senior Lieutenant 
Colonel Nguyen Van Chuong, Chief of the GVN's National Steering 
Committee on anti-TIP said that after the GVN signed an MOU with 
Cambodia in October 2005, it became necessary for Vietnam to sign 
one with Thailand as well, as Thailand is characterized as a transit 
and destination country for trafficked Vietnamese women and 
children. In addition, according to Chuong, the number of illegal 
Vietnamese workers coming to work in Thailand has increased 
recently, and these illegal workers are usually forced to work "very 
hard under poor working conditions." 
 
NGOs HOLD HOPE AND CONCERN 
-------------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) Mr. Nguyen Quoc Nam, TIP specialist at the International 
Organization of Migration (IOM) in Hanoi, agreed with Chuong.  With 
this agreement with Thailand, Vietnam is making serious efforts to 
prevent criminal gangs from Vietnam and Thailand from continuing to 
traffic Vietnamese women and children to Thailand and other 
countries, Nam said.  He noted that it was good that the agreement 
established specific assistance measures by the two countries for 
repatriating TIP victims and helping them reintegrate into the 
community. 
 
¶6. (SBU) The Asia Foundation (TAF) in Vietnam took a more cautious 
view of the MOU.  TIP Program Manager To Kim Lien said she doubted 
the feasibility of the implementation of the agreement, noting the 
limited results of the implementation of the widely criticized 
Vietnam-Cambodia MOU signed in October 2005.  According to Lien, the 
Cambodia side has not seriously implemented the MOU signed with 
Vietnam, leading to very limited cooperative results. 
 
 
HANOI 00000429  002.4 OF 002 
 
 
COMMENT: GVN PRESSES AHEAD 
-------------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) Together with the GVN's ongoing effort to draft a new and 
comprehensive anti-TIP law and other interagency initiatives called 
for under the June 2007 anti-TIP Directive 16 (Reftel), the signing 
of an MOU with Thailand demonstrates the GVN's determination to 
crack down on human traffickers not only nationally but also 
trans-nationally.  Beyond preventing illegal Vietnamese workers from 
being exploited in other countries, the MOU also provides for 
protection of TIP victims and help for them to reintegrate into the 
community.  While lack of implementation by Cambodian authorities 
limited the effectiveness of that MOU, if similar problems can be 
avoided in this MOU with Thailand this is likely to be a more 
effective mechanism to address TIP issues. 
 
¶8. (U) This cable was coordinated with ConGen HCMC. 
 
MICHALAK