VZCZCXRO5446
PP RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHBK #3424 3250912
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 200912Z NOV 08
FM AMEMBASSY BANGKOK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5126
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC PRIORITY
INFO RUEHCHI/AMCONSUL CHIANG MAI 5870
RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS BANGKOK 003424 
 
Department for G/TIP MTaylor, DRL/IL MJunk 
DOL/ILAB for Jennifer Piorkowski and Brandie Sasser 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ELAB PHUM KTIP TH
 
SUBJECT: ANTI-TRAFFICKING ENGAGEMENT PAYS DIVIDENDS 
 
¶1.  Summary: Over the course of 2008 the Embassy and Consulate 
General Chiang Mai have continued to broaden and increase our 
prevention activities in support of the Mission's anti-trafficking 
in persons (TIP) strategy.  Each event has been a success, either 
energizing our local partners or raising awareness of the human 
trafficking problem in general.  The Mission will seek to replicate 
this success through similar events in the future.  Based on the 
positive feedback we have received about those events in which the 
Ambassador's wife participated, we will, where feasible, seek to 
continue to use her outreach with the local nongovernmental 
community to push forward our anti-TIP agenda.  End summary. 
 
¶2.  Since January of this year, Embassy Bangkok and Consulate 
General Chiang Mai have engaged in a series of activities geared 
toward the prevention angle of our overall anti-TIP strategy.  These 
events have generally focused on raising awareness of TIP issues, 
either through site visits to projects focused on victims assistance 
or through outreach to groups that do not normally focus on human 
trafficking issues.   To maximize our efforts, the Mission has, when 
feasible, enlisted the support of the Ambassador's wife who has a 
personal interest in trafficking issues.  As examples, Consulate 
Chiang Mai organized a January 28 visit for Mrs. John to the New 
Life Center (NLC), a shelter for victims of human trafficking that 
mostly serves young women and child TIP victims who have been 
rescued from brothels in the area.  At a May 21 follow-on visit to 
the NLC's facility in Chiang Rai, Mrs. John delivered books donated 
by the Asia Foundation to the shelter's residents and engaged in a 
discussion with them on their trafficking experiences.  (Note: While 
in Chiang Rai, Mrs. John also visited and donated books to the 
Sueksaasongkra School, which has a high population of hill tribe and 
generally disadvantaged students.  End Note.)  The NLC Director told 
the told the Consulate's Poloff that that the women and girls in 
both shelters were inspired by Mrs. John's visits, photographs of 
which hang in the shelters' main fuQtion rooms. 
¶3.  Over the same time frame, the Mission began a series of events 
in Bangkok to raise awareness on human trafficking among the members 
of various expatriate groups and associations.  On October 16, Mrs. 
John hosted, at the official residence, the members of the American 
Chamber of Commerce's Professional Women Committee.  Approximately 
twenty-five American, Canadian, Thai, and other women participated, 
which constitutes most of the committee's membership.  Mrs. John 
kicked off the event with an explanation of the seriousness of human 
trafficking and how she had seen first-hand the devastating toll it 
exacts on victims.  The Labor Officer then explained how human 
trafficking is generally defined, Thailand's role as a source, 
transit, and destination country, and how the various members of the 
Embassy's TIP Working Group are collaborating with international and 
local partners to combat the problem.  To provide a specific example 
of the Mission's work, Post's ICE Attach highlighted his agency's 
use of the Protect Act to bring to justice, in the United States, 
American citizens engaged in child sex tourism. 
¶4.  During the question and answer session that followed, the 
Embassy officials highlighted both the progress the RTG has made on 
combating TIP and the complexities of bringing traffickers to 
justice.  The assembled group then discussed various ways in which 
they as individuals can combat human trafficking: spreading the word 
on the issue, taking responsibility for the management of their 
businesses' supply chains, making efforts to ensure products 
purchased (for personal and business use) are not made through 
forced labor, donating time and money to non-governmental 
organizations, etc.  After the event, the co-chair of the 
Professional Women Committee told the Labor Officer that the event 
hosted by Mrs. John was one of the best the Committee had held all 
year. 
¶5.  Based on these successes, the Mission will continue to organize 
anti-TIP awareness raising activities, and seek opportunities to 
involve Mrs. John in them.  By leveraging her stature in the 
community to broaden our audience and increase attention to these 
events, we expect they will continue to pay dividends.