VZCZCXRO5499
PP RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHPF #0065 0270156
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 270156Z JAN 09
FM AMEMBASSY PHNOM PENH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY

UNCLAS PHNOM PENH 000065 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/MLS, DRL/ILCSR MARK MITTELHAUSER 
DOL FOR ILAB RACHEL RIGBY 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ELAB ECON PGOV PHUM CB
SUBJECT: CAMBODIA: POST COMMENTS ON DRAFT TVPRA REPORT 
 
REF: A. STATE 1730 
     ¶B. BUENOS AIRES 0048 
     ¶C. ULAANBAATAR 0013 
     ¶D. PHNOM PENH 0036 
     ¶E. 08 PHNOM PENH 0530 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Post appreciates the opportunity to comment on the 
Department of Labor's (DOL) draft list of goods produced by 
forced or child labor as outlined in ref A.  Additions to the 
list for Cambodia are not recommended at this time.  However, 
Post would like to request the removal of two potentially 
erroneous items from DOL's draft list. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Post has concerns that the inclusion of gems and 
coal as items produced by child labor is based on outdated or 
erroneous information.  While post has reported on the 
instance of child labor in bricks, rubber, salt, and seafood, 
we are not aware of corroborated evidence of significant or 
widespread child labor in the production of gems or coal. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Post believes the incorporation of the two items 
may be based on a literal interpretation of the 2001 
Cambodian Child Labor Survey (CCLS) which labeled the 
International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) 
group 711 as gems and 931 as coal.  The survey reported a 
fairly high number of child workers in each area.  However, 
ISCO group 711 also includes miners, shotfirers, stone 
cutters, and carvers while group 931 includes mining and 
construction laborers.  Post believes the majority of child 
laborers in the CCLS from group 711 are actually working in 
stone cutting rather than gem mining, while those in group 
931 are construction laborers rather than coal miners.  While 
there are known coal deposits in northern Cambodia and some 
gems are found in the north-western areas, there is currently 
no large-scale extraction. If children are involved in these 
small informal industries, they would most likely be working 
side-by-side with their family members and attending school 
if income permits.  Large-scale, formal mining operations are 
not an area of concern for child labor in Cambodia.  The 
Cambodian Ministry of Labor's Child Labor Department, the 
ILO, UNICEF, and NGOs including World Vision, LICADHO, and 
Winrock all stated that there is a lack of evidence of child 
labor relating to coal and gems. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Post shares the concerns raised by other posts, 
particularly para 6 of ref B, which states the need to be 
fully prepared to explain the determinations to the host 
government, and requests that gems and coal be withdrawn from 
DOL's draft list at this time.  Post would only be in a 
position to explain and justify the inclusion of items on the 
list if they have strong corroborating source information 
used by DOL to create the list.  The Cambodian government is 
committed to reducing child labor, and we want to ensure they 
continue to focus their resources on the areas with 
documented significant incidences of child labor, forced 
labor, or forced child labor in the production of goods. 
RODLEY