VZCZCXYZ0008
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHJA #1072/01 1750848
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 240848Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2671
INFO RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC PRIORITY

UNCLAS JAKARTA 001072 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR DRL/ILCSR, EAP, EAP/EX, EAP/MLS, G/TIP; DEPT OF 
LABOR FOR BSASSER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AMGT APER ELAB PHUM ID
SUBJECT: 2009 AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN LABOR DIPLOMACY: 
EMBASSY JAKARTA NOMINATION 
 
REF: A. STATE 46831 
     ¶B. JAKARTA 629 
     ¶C. (08) JAKARTA 1057 
     ¶D. (08) JAKARTA 8672 
 
¶1.  (U) SUMMARY:  Mission nominates Stanley J. Harsha for the 
2009 Award for Excellence in Labor Diplomacy.  Counselor for 
Political Affairs Joseph L. Novak has nominated Stan with the 
full endorsement of Ambassador Cameron R. Hume. 
 
¶2.  (U) SUMMARY (Con'd) Stan has performed his Labor Attache 
responsibilities in absolutely outstanding fashion.  His 
analysis of key issues, his nurturing of a wide network of 
contacts, and his operational effectiveness, creativity and 
responsiveness have helped place labor issues squarely at the 
center of Mission efforts to reinforce Indonesia's respect 
for worker rights.  Moreover, working with the U.S. 
Department of Labor, the AFL-CIO Solidarity Center, and the 
International Organization for Migration (IOM), Stan's 
efforts have achieved practical results--in line with the 
goals of Transformational Diplomacy--by directly helping 
workers suffering abuse. END SUMMARY. 
 
¶3.  (U) Mr. Harsha's outreach to a wide variety of agencies 
and labor rights organizations and collaborative approach 
enabled the USG to promote stronger worker protection in 
Indonesia, particularly in the area of migrant worker 
protection.  He has achieved this through dedication to his 
labor portfolio despite other reporting and management 
responsibilities as the Deputy Political Counselor in a very 
busy Mission.  Mr. Harsha chaired regular U.S. Mission 
interagency trafficking of persons (TIP) committee attended 
by State, USAID, DOJ, Consular, Econ and PAS, which resulted 
in close collaboration such that USG projects worked 
seamlessly with one another. 
 
SAVING BURMESE MIGRANT WORKERS 
 
¶4.  (U) His work protected the lives of hundreds of Burmese 
migrant workers.  When nearly 400 Rohingya and Bangladeshi 
migrant workers washed up near-death on Indonesian shores, 
enroute to Malaysia seeking employment, Mr. Harsha devoted 
his energies to ensure their welfare. Initially, the 
Department of Foreign Affairs talked about sending the 
Rohingyas back to Burma where they certainly would have been 
persecuted.  IOM and UNHCR could not get access for several 
weeks.  He visited the Rohingya camp in a remote location, 
the first international observer to meet with this group, 
documenting their condition through videotaped interviews. 
He used this information to refute GOI assertions that the 
Rohingyas might not be political refugees, citing their 
stories of persecution.  Mr. Harsha gained assurance from 
senior Indonesian diplomats that the Rohingyas would not be 
sent to Burma.  His intervention led directly to IOM and 
UNHCR access, and political protection status.  Mr. Harsha 
furthermore used reporting cables to document the dire need 
for the USG to provide funding for care of the Rohingyas in 
Indonesia, resulting in nearly $295,000 in prompt funding 
from the office of Population, Refugees and Migration. 
 
INNOVATIVE TRAINING PROGRAMS 
 
¶5. (U) In addition, Mr. Harsha's intensive collaboration with 
Indonesian labor/human rights NGOs, government agencies and 
IOs has enabled him to pioneer innovative approaches to labor 
rights.  For example, Mr. Harsha targeted several parts of 
Indonesia with the most severe labor and trafficking problems 
for field visits, and in each location met with all the 
relevant government agencies, NGOs and labor leaders.  In 
addition, he visited factories and locations with trafficking 
victims, such as migrant worker holding centers, red light 
districts and rehabilitation centers.  His frequent visits to 
a migrant workers processing terminal at the Jakarta 
international airport focused attention on identifying 
trafficked Indonesians returning from Malaysia and the Middle 
East.  At Mr. Harsha's request, IOM trained airport officials 
to screen for trafficking victims.  He requested that IOM and 
USG agencies train not only police, prosecutors and judges, 
but also officials from Immigration, Manpower, Foreign 
Affairs, and NGO activists, in a comprehensive approach. 
This became the model for dozens of TIP training workshops. 
The result has been greatly enhanced cooperation, such as 
joint raids on trafficking syndicates by police and manpower, 
shutting down several large illicit manpower brokers. 
 
¶6. (U) Maintaining rapport and trust with all GOI agencies 
key to labor and migrant protection.  Mr. Harsha used this 
personal touch to achieve breakthroughs.  For example, he 
cultivated strong relationships with senior officials at the 
 
Manpower Ministry and the Agency for Overseas Migrant Worker 
Protection, despite their corrupt reputation of promoting 
worker exploitation.  This deepening relationship resulted in 
these agencies participating in USG-funded TIP workshops and 
in greater emphasis on fighting trafficking. 
 
HELPED WORKERS ESCAPE SLAVERY 
 
¶7. (U) Mr. Harsha's outreach resulted in yet other progress 
to protect worker rights:  His persistent intervention for a 
trafficked Burmese seafarer, held captive by his employer for 
over a year, resulted in his freedom under UNHCR protection. 
A woman he helped rescue from a trafficking situation in 
Iraq, by working with IOM and the GOI, returned to Indonesia 
and helped many fellow migrant workers escape.  She was 
chosen as a State Department TIP Hero in 2009. 
 
¶8. (U) He has worked with NGOs and GOI officials to press for 
enforcement of the 2007 anti-TIP law.  Arguably, stepped up 
enforcement by police, prosecutors, immigration and manpower 
officials is in part a response to his constant pressing for 
action against traffickers and corrupt officials.  He also 
managed the DRL democracy and small grants solicitations, and 
through his persuasion at proposal review meetings and 
drafting of recommendations secured several important grants 
for both labor and TIP projects for Indonesia. 
 
¶9. (U) Besides the above-cited accomplishments in 
transformational diplomacy, Mr. Harsha also devoted time to 
report on developments to Washington.  He drafted the annual 
TIP report and thoroughly researched the labor component of 
the human rights report.  His child labor report and forced 
labor and child labor in the production of goods report 
identified in great detail the industries where child labor 
is exploited.  He personally documented exploitation of 
children in the shoe industry through field visits to 
factories. He also documented worst forms of child labor and 
forced child labor in the food processing industry, 
agriculture and mining as part of his in-depth reporting. 
 
¶10.  (U) Mr. Harsha's extensive outreach included meetings 
with labor leaders at their offices and in factories across 
Indonesia.  In several cases he was the first labor official 
of any foreign mission to meet with labor leaders and his 
visits uncovered new issues.  His third annual fasting month 
celebration was attended by over 100 labor leaders, and 
first-ever initiative by a labor attach in Indonesia.  In 
addition, he consults frequently with  human rights NGOs 
protecting rights of children and worker rights.  He also 
meets with the Indonesian business organizations and U.S. 
chamber representatives to discuss labor issues.  He has met 
with several ministers and other senior officials to discuss 
labor protection issues.  He attended many conferences and 
workshops hosted by ILO, IOM, Solidarity Center, Save the 
Children and other U.S. Mission partners, addressing 
thousands of children and workers at these events.  Three of 
his labor/TIP nominees participated in the International 
Visitor Leadership Program 
in 2008/09. 
 
DOL AND DRL RECOGNITION 
 
¶11. (U) The Department of Labor sent the following message in 
April 2009 regarding Mr. Harsha's contributions:  "The 
Department of Labor would like to express its deep gratitude 
for the support provided over the past year by Mr. Stanley 
Harsha.  Despite having a very large portfolio, Mr. Harsha 
has always found time to assist DOL in its efforts to combat 
child labor and trafficking.  He has maintained regular 
contact with DOL grantees, has gone above and beyond the call 
of duty in his efforts to collect information on child labor 
in Indonesia for the Department's annual Child Labor Report, 
and has supported DOL staff in their field visits.  Mr. 
Harsha's passion and commitment to labor issues is evident 
and is much appreciated by all those in DOL who have the 
pleasure of working with him." 
 
¶12.  (U) DRL endorsed these comments, adding:  "We 
enthusiastically join in DOL's praise, particularly in 
calling attention to the outstanding work you have done to 
raise the profile of labor issues at your post and your 
thorough and timely responses to a wide range of tasking and 
email requests for additional information.  Indonesia is one 
of our top priority countries, and you have done stellar work 
in keeping us fully informed of recent developments and 
analyzing the complex labor environment in the country." 
 
¶13.  Proposed citation:   For management of a collaborative 
approach to labor and trafficking issues in Indonesia which 
 
has led to significant breakthroughs in the protection of 
Indonesian and other international migrant workers and close 
cooperation between the USG and international organizations, 
NGOs and Indonesian government agencies, as well as in-depth 
reporting on labor issues. 
 
¶14.  The following three cables are written examples of Mr. 
Harsha's work: 
-- (09) Jakarta 629, Rohingyas Treated Well in Indonesia, 
International Access Granted; 
-- (08) Jakarta 1057, Exploitation in the Cottage Shoe 
Industry; 
-- (08) Jakarta 8672, Trial Begins for Alleged Trafficker of 
Migrant Labor to Iraq 
 
¶15.  The Political Counselor nominated Mr. Harsha for this 
award and the COM has endorsed it. 
HUME