VZCZCXRO5188
PP RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHNH
DE RUEHHM #0964/01 3010240
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 270240Z OCT 08
FM AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5069
INFO RUEHHI/AMEMBASSY HANOI PRIORITY 3388
RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE
RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY PRIORITY 5298
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG PRIORITY 0278

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HO CHI MINH CITY 000964 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/MLS AND G/TIP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PGOV TIP KWMN KCRM VM
SUBJECT: TIP ARRESTS AND PROSECUTIONS IN HCMC ON THE RISE, VICTIMS 
HELPING TO RAISE AWARENESS 
 
REF: HCMC 756 AND PREVIOUS 
 
HO CHI MIN 00000964  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. Summary.  The GVN continues make strides in arresting and 
prosecuting human traffickers in HCMC and prosecute those 
responsible for trafficking in persons, with two new 
investigations underway and a stiff sentence upheld at a 
trafficker's appeals trial in October.  Anti-TIP NGO AFESIP says 
cooperation with authorities is improving and response times on 
TIP leads are faster thanks to recent GVN efforts to step up 
anti-TIP work.  A recently returned victim also shared her story 
with the press to warn others - a remarkable step in a country 
where the stigma of being a victim and the shame it brings to 
one's family is still a powerful bar to creating greater public 
awareness of the dangers of trafficking-in-persons.  End 
Summary. 
 
Arrest of Sex Trafficker 
------------------------ 
¶2. (SBU) On October 1, HCMC press reported the arrest of Truong 
Nguyen for trafficking women to Malaysia.  A suspected 
accomplice, Ms. Nguyen Thi Mai Trang, was released due to her 
pregnancy.  Lieutenant Colonel Le Thanh Kiem of HCMC's anti-TIP 
police (Unit PC-14) said they caught Nguyen "red-handed" when he 
attempted to traffic another woman to Malaysia at the end of 
September.  LTC Kiem said the investigation is ongoing, so few 
details are publicly available at the moment. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Press reports say Trang promised an 18 year old "NTGP" 
(the victim's name was withheld from the press) a high paying 
job at a restaurant in Singapore in exchange for a USD 200 
"finder's fee."  Upon arriving in Singapore on January 25, NTGP 
was taken across the border to Malaysia, where she said two men 
picked her up, drove her to their home and forced her to work as 
a prostitute 3-5 times per day for approximately USD 80 to 140 
per customer.  NTGP said the two men kept all her earnings and 
threatened to starve her and sell her to another country if her 
family did not pay a ransom.  LTC Kiem said NTGP's family 
initially informed their local ward police of her plight and 
called the Indonesian Consulate to ask for assistance after 
receiving no word from the authorities.  In February 2008, 
NTGP's family paid a USD 2000 ransom to a Malaysian man for her 
freedom.  The Indonesian Consulate cooperated with the 
Vietnamese Embassy to rescue NGTP and, upon arriving home, NTGP 
and her family reported the details of her story directly to 
PC-14, who immediately began the investigation that led to 
Nguyen and Trang's arrest. 
 
¶4. (SBU) LTC Kiem said PC-14 is currently investigating another 
case involving three victims from the Mekong Delta province of 
Dong Thap who were trafficked to Macau to work as prostitutes. 
One of the victims managed to call home, and PC-14 contacted the 
Vietnamese Consulate in Hong Kong to coordinate their return.  A 
Vietnamese consul traveled to Macau to meet the women and help 
them escape back to Vietnam.  The police have arrested four 
suspects but reported difficulties in obtaining cooperation from 
Macau authorities. 
 
Heavy Sentences Stand for Traffickers, NGO Gives Kudos to Police 
--------------------------------------------- ------------------- 
¶5. (SBU) Successful prosecutions of traffickers are also on the 
rise.  On October 13, the HCMC Appeals Court rejected an appeal 
from Ms. Hua Hue Muoi, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison 
for the charge of human trafficking in a court hearing on June 
¶10.  Muoi also received a fine of USD 1,180, was ordered to pay 
USD 885 compensation to the victims, and had USD $2,855 
confiscated when she was arrested.  Her accomplice, Quang Chi 
Phat, who did not lodge an appeal, was sentenced to 12 years for 
a similar conviction.  Ms. Muoi lured 28 local women to Malaysia 
by posing as a marriage broker from May 2005 to May 2006, and 
sold her victims to Malaysian traffickers for between USD 
1,500-2,000.  Kiem said they initially investigated 10 potential 
trafficking suspects, but Vietnamese prosecutors could only 
build solid cases for Muoi and Phat. 
 
¶6. (SBU) LTC Kiem said PC-14 cooperated with anti-TIP NGO AFESIP 
(Acting for Women in Distressing Situations) to track down the 
women trafficked by Muoi and Phat.  AFESIP then used their 
network of NGO contacts in Malaysia to coordinate the victims' 
rescue with Malaysian authorities.  AFESIP Country Coordinator 
Cao Minh Quyen said cooperation between the NGO, PC-14 and PA-18 
(HCMC's immigration police) is improving, and police are 
responding more quickly on information requests.  Quyen said 
their network of NGOs in Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia pass on 
information about Vietnamese sex workers, which AFESIP Vietnam 
then asks police to verify.  "Three years ago, the authorities 
would take up to 12 to 14 months to respond" said Quyen, while 
today the NGO receives verification within 30 days.  Quyen 
attributed the improved response time to a new GVN interagency 
 
HO CHI MIN 00000964  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
circular (Ministry of Public Security Inter-Agency Circular #3) 
issued in May that requires verification requests to be 
processed within 30-45 days as well as the Prime Minister's 
Decision No. 17 in January urging law enforcement agencies to 
step up their anti-TIP efforts. 
 
Victim Shares Her Story 
----------------------- 
¶7. (SBU) In addition to bringing their cases to the police, TIP 
victims are also sharing their stories with the press to warn 
others of the potential dangers in seeking overseas employment 
or marriage, a brave move in a country where most victims are 
afraid to come forward because they face societal and familial 
discrimination.  A 22-year-old Vietnamese girl named "TTG" 
(whose name was withheld from the press at her request) shared 
her story about being duped to work as a commercial sex worker 
in Indonesia with Thanh Nien (Youth) newspaper on October 1. 
 
¶8. (SBU) In the article TTG said she met "T" (whose name was 
also withheld at TTG's request due to threats she received from 
T) two months ago, and after a short time, T offered TTG an 
opportunity to go to Indonesia and work at her friend's garment 
shop.  To convince TTG and her family, T invited them to her 
house and let them talk on the phone to a Vietnamese girl named 
"My" living in Indonesia.  My painted a rosy picture of her work 
in Indonesia for TTG and her family, noting how her overseas 
earnings had made her family very well off in Vietnam.  Several 
days later, T made TTG an even more attractive offer -- marriage 
to a wealthy Indonesian man.  Towards this end, TTG was 
persuaded into borrowing USD 2,300 to undergo breast 
augmentation surgery. 
 
¶9. (SBU) After the operation, T contacted an Indonesian man 
named Hengky Lukman who helped TTG with her visa procedures. 
When she arrived in Indonesia on August 28, TTG said two men 
picked her up and took her to an apartment building, then forced 
her to "entertain" customers at a neighboring hotel.  TTG said 
she saw more than 100 girls from Indonesia, Thailand, 
Philippines, China, and other countries working for this 
commercial trafficking ring.  TTG said dozens of girls were 
required to stand in line waiting to be selected by men visiting 
the hotel bar.  TTG says although she had to "serve" many 
customers, she only received two poor meals every day and the 
boss, Lukman, did not give her any money.  Over a week later, 
TTG was able to contact her family in Vietnam, who in turn 
contacted the Indonesian Consulate in HCMC for help.  The 
Consulate staff asked the family to contact the Vietnamese 
Embassy in Indonesia, and the Vietnamese Embassy coordinated 
with the Indonesian police to rescue TTG on September 16.  The 
news report said that HCMC police have been seeking T for 
questioning, but have been unable to locate her thus far. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶10. (SBU) The steady uptick in Vietnamese press reports on human 
trafficking is a direct result of the GVN's concerted efforts to 
improve cooperation and coordination among law enforcement 
agencies, which demonstrates their continued commitment to 
tackle trafficking-in-persons from all angles.  AFESIP's 
comments are a signal things are moving forward, but much work 
remains to be done.  In many cases, families are still paying 
ransoms in order to get their loved ones returned and often 
police either cannot or will not act until victims come home and 
step forward.  TTG's story in Thanh Nien is an example of how 
victims are increasingly willing to step forward, despite the 
social stigma they may face.  TTG said her decision came from 
her desire to warn to others, showing her understanding of the 
powerful voice victims can have in raising public awareness. 
FAIRFAX