VZCZCXRO6094
RR RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHPF #0391/01 1620738
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 110738Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY PHNOM PENH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0817
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC 0168
RUEHNA/DEA HQS WASHDC
RHMFIUU/FBI WASHINGTON DC
RHHMUNA/USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RHHMUNB/JIATF WEST

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PHNOM PENH 000391 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/MLS, DJ, EAP/RSP, INL/AAE -- BRANDON NEUKAM 
BANGKOK FOR DEA, TCAO -- SCOTT ROLSTON 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SNAR PGOV ASEC PREL EAID CB
SUBJECT: MINI-DUBLIN GROUP DISCUSSES CAMBODIA'S DRUG 
PROBLEMS 
 
REF: A. PHNOM PENH 377 
     ¶B. PHNOM PENH 203 
     ¶C. 07 PHNOM PENH 515 
 
 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Representatives from the embassies of 
Australia, U.S., France, EU, Japan, and Denmark met with 
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Royal 
Government of Cambodia (RGC) officials June 4 to discuss the 
current situation, policies and donor coordination in 
relation to drugs in Cambodia.  Identified needs for 
improving the drug control system included measures to 
advance overall governance and fight corruption.  Post 
outlined current U.S. efforts to improve the RGC's capacity 
to combat illicit druges.  While the majority of the 
discussion focused on issues related to enforcement and 
prosecution, donors also raised the need for more 
coordination in the area of prevention, especially in the 
often neglected areas of treatment and rehabilitation.  End 
Summary. 
 
Current Situation 
----------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) Although the exact number of drug users in Cambodia 
does not exist, the National Authority for Combating Drugs 
(NACD) estimates 5,900 users, the National Center for 
HIV/AIDS, Dermatology and STD (NCHADS) estimates 13,000, and 
in 2004 UNAIDS estimated that there were 46,000 illicit drug 
users.  According to NGOs and law enforcement experts working 
in the field, the actual figures are likely to be much higher 
than any of these estimates.  The main drug of choice is 
yama, which is the tablet form of methamphetamine, although 
crystal meth use ("ice") is surging.  According to NACD, 77% 
of drug users are below the age of 26.  Data now indicates 
that the drug problem in Cambodia has spread further into the 
rural areas, with the highest usage in the provinces 
bordering Laos and Thailand.  Surprisingly, according to NACD 
statistics, Phnom Penh falls into the mid range of illicit 
drug use, with Siem Reap falling into the low range.  The HIV 
prevalence rate among general drug users is only slightly 
higher than the national average.  However, among injecting 
drug users (IDUs), it is estimated at 24.4%. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Given Cambodia's porous borders, corruption, and 
weak law enforcement, it has historically been an easy target 
for traffickers of illicit cargo.  Heroin made in Burmese and 
Lao drug labs as well as cocaine and ecstasy are trafficked 
through Cambodian international airports, land and maritime 
borders.  The arrest of Chinese nationals involved in large 
narcotics cases suggests linkages with transnational criminal 
syndicates.  A surge of activity related to West African 
organized crime elements is of concern to the Cambodian 
Anti-Drug Department.  An NGO contact told Poloff that the 
West Africans have introduced glass pipes to Cambodians for 
smoking ice and other drugs.  The recent discovery of large 
scale clandestine laboratories (Refs B & C), small scale 
tableting operations, and evidence of safrole-rich oil 
production all suggest that Cambodia has evolved from merely 
transit to production.  UNODC contends that the majority of 
meth tablets feeding the growing domestic demand are produced 
by mixing methamphetamines manufactured in other countries 
with local adulterants which generate higher quantities of 
lower grade drugs. 
 
Weaknesses 
---------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) Ideally, increased drug consumption is tackled by 
both enforcement and prevention.  However, drug users have 
historically been seen as criminals rather than victims in 
need of assistance in Cambodia.  Consequently, there has been 
an over-reliance on law enforcement and prosecution 
approaches at the expense of demand reduction efforts. 
Poloff has noted an increased understanding on the part of 
the RGC that demand reduction strategies are also needed in 
order to effectively control drug use.  However, there are 
limited resources and little to no capacity in this area. 
Public drug treatment centers are run by several different 
ministries, from Health to Interior to Defense, with no 
single standard of care.  They are primarily compulsory 
military-style boot camps with an overarching philosophy of 
detention and control.  A recent USAID assessment suggested 
 
PHNOM PENH 00000391  002 OF 003 
 
 
that the centers provide very little in the way of addiction 
programming.  Experts believe that these centers do not meet 
the real needs on the ground and feel a shift toward 
community-based drug treatment services is needed in order to 
provide a realistic option for those who are voluntarily in 
search of treatment. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Corruption, low educational levels, low salaries, 
limited budgets, hierarchical decision making processes, weak 
systems and limited information sharing between agencies all 
affect the quality of public services in Cambodia.  Although 
the RGC's drug control policy has focused on enforcement, 
police capacity remains weak.  According to Moek Dara, 
Secretary General of NACD, of the 660 anti-drug officers 
throughout Cambodia, only 20% have received training and 50% 
have no capacity to act.  Police training, when received, is 
often inadequate, with little emphasis on human rights and 
service to the public.  Many police, prosecutors and judges 
do not understand the current drug law.  According to UNODC, 
systemic improvements within the judicial system such as 
improved cooperation between police, prosecutors and 
investigative judges, are required in order to improve drug 
control in Cambodia. 
 
¶6. (SBU) The RGC has responded to the increasing complexity 
of the drug situation in Cambodia by introducing a new draft 
"Law on Drug Control" which would replace the 1996 drug law. 
The new law is intended to increase the severity of 
punishments, strengthen provisions on seizure and forfeiture 
of property, and improve procedural requirements.  The RGC 
invited UNODC and several stakeholders to workshops during 
various drafting stages to ensure the law is consistent with 
UN conventions.  The World Health Organization and NGOs 
fought and eventually won a battle to include the following 
statement in the draft law: "The provision of health 
services, including harm reduction services, to drug users 
should not be considered as a facilitating factor for illicit 
drug use."  The draft has received opposition from the 
Ministry of Justice over procedural articles, and the 
National Bank which rejected portions pertaining to money 
laundering as not being harmonized with the 2007 Anti Money 
Laundering Law.  However, according to the NACD, the Prime 
Minister and Minister of Interior both strongly back the 
draft law and NACD expects it will be passed before the end 
of the year.  UNODC and others fear that, although the new 
law is now acceptable to most stakeholders and meets 
international standards, there is limited capacity within the 
RGC to develop the required regulations and procedures to 
support its implementation. 
 
Current U.S. Efforts 
-------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) Through USAID, the Embassy provides HIV/AIDS funding 
which benefits some drug users, particularly IDUs. 
Approximately 25 law enforcement officials each year receive 
drug related training at ILEA in Bangkok.  Bangkok-based DEA 
agents provide technical assistance, training, and limited 
resources to the Cambodian Anti-Drug Department.  JIATF-West 
has provided infrastructure and held two counter-narcotics 
trainings in the past seven months for military, gendarmerie, 
police and officials from Cambodia's twelve Border Liaison 
Offices (B.L.O.).  The U.S. Department of Defense is 
concentrating on raising capacity within the maritime 
security realm and will have several workshops and training 
events this year (Ref A).  In 2007, INL funds were used to 
provide drug treatment training sessions through Daytop.  Our 
2010 INL budget includes funding for a Senior Law Enforcement 
Advisor who will focus on basic police capacity building. 
Post has submitted a 1207 request which, if approved, would 
provide funds for drug awareness training and community 
policing. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) The meeting of the Mini-Dublin group produced no 
surprises.  Corruption, weak rule of law, and low human 
resource capacity plague all sectors of public service. 
Donors are all too aware of the issues, especially the need 
for basic capacity building within the law enforcement 
community.  Meeting regularly to discuss these issues allows 
 
PHNOM PENH 00000391  003 OF 003 
 
 
for donors to avoid duplication and more efficiently plan 
future funding.  NACD has requested more input into donor 
programs and UNODC echoed this as well as the need for better 
coordination.  The meeting also highlighted the need for 
further technical assistance, deliberation and a coordinated 
approach to improving drug treatment and rehabilitation. 
Most donors agreed that future funding in this area should be 
focused on a community-based approach, which would also serve 
to promote the RGC's decentralization initiative.  Likewise, 
law enforcement tactics need to shift from reactive and 
centrally controlled to participatory and locally controlled. 
 As we have seen in the U.S. and elsewhere, the fight against 
drugs is not easily won even with considerable resources. 
The RGC seems to have the will to tackle the problems but 
severely lacks necessary resources, strategy and capacity. 
 
RODLEY