VZCZCXRO4632
PP RUEHDT RUEHPB
DE RUEHJA #1126/01 1830712
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 020712Z JUL 09
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2744
INFO RUCNARF/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 3261
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 001126 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, G/TIP, EAP/RSP, DRL/IL AND EAP/PD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV ELAB SMIG ID
SUBJECT: DVC DIALOGUE PLACES SPOTLIGHT ON INDONESIAN 
TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS HERO 
 
REF: JAKARTA 759 AND PREVIOUS 
 
¶1.  (U) This message is Sensitive but Unclassified -- Please 
handle accordingly. 
 
¶2.  (U) SUMMARY:  G/TIP Director Ambassador Luis CdeBaca held 
a June 29 DVC dialogue with key GOI officials and NGO leaders 
regarding the 2009 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report on 
Indonesia.  Ambassador Hume opened the program by presenting 
the 2009 TIP Hero Award to an Indonesian migrant worker who 
had escaped trafficking in the Middle East and then helped 
others to escape.  An audience of over 50 officials, NGO 
leaders and media attended the dialogue.  National print, TV 
and radio journalists reported extensively on the event.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
PRESENTING TIP AWARD 
 
¶3.  (U) On June 29, Ambassador Hume presented Indonesian 
migrant worker Elly Anita with the 2009 TIP Hero Award during 
a 90-minute DVC with Ambassador Luis CdeBaca, Director of the 
Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (G/TIP). 
Ambassador Hume told the audience, "Elly Anita is a migrant 
worker who escaped trafficking in the Middle East through her 
own ingenuity and willpower, and has since helped to rescue 
other migrant workers. This is the fifth year in a row that 
an Indonesian has received this prestigious award." 
 
¶4.  (U) During the dialogue, Ambassador CdeBaca praised 
Indonesian progress in fighting trafficking, particularly in 
law enforcement.  He also commended the recent GOI decision 
to suspend sending Indonesian domestic workers to Malaysia 
until the current MoU with Malaysia is renegotiated to 
protect their basic rights.  Ambassador CdeBaca also raised 
several areas where Indonesia could improve, including by: 
 
--Enforcing criminal penalties against manpower brokers which 
traffic workers, and eliminating recruitment fees which put 
workers into debt bondage. 
--Protecting migrant workers overseas (particularly the right 
to retain their travel documents in Malaysia). 
--Stopping domestic trafficking of women for sexual 
exploitation. 
--Providing an adequate budget to deal with trafficking in 
the new National Plan of Action. 
 
INDONESIAN PANEL COMMENTS 
 
¶5.  (U) The Indonesian panelists included:  I Gusti Made 
Arka, Director General for Manpower Supervision, Ministry of 
Manpower; Andhika Chrisnayudhanto, Deputy Director for 
Countering Transnational Crimes at the Foreign Affairs 
Department; Fachry Sulaiman, Deputy Director for Protection 
of Overseas Citizens at Foreign Affairs; and, Wahyu Susilo of 
Migrant Care (2007 TIP Hero). 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Made Arka, who in conversations with Labatt a year 
ago did not take seriously the need to renegotiate the MoU 
with Malaysia, has now changed his views.  He responded to 
Ambassador CdeBaca that the GOI is seeking to change the 
terms of the MoU to protect workers rights.  This includes a 
proposal that would allow migrant labor to hold their own 
passports and to have a day off each week.  The GOI also is 
proposing a joint Indonesian-Malaysian committee to regulate 
and monitor employees of Indonesian migrant workers, domestic 
servants in particular.  The suspension in sending migrant 
workers is intended to be in place until these issues are 
resolved. 
 
¶7.  (U) The Manpower Ministry also is reviewing cost 
structures to reduce the fees charged to migrant workers, 
Made Arka said.  The GOI plans to negotiate MoUs with all 
receiving countries to better protect workers' rights, citing 
accords with Jordan, Hong Kong and Taiwan as positive models. 
 If Indonesia needs to choose between "remittances" and 
"dignity" for workers, Made Arka said he would prefer the 
latter. 
 
¶8.  (U) Wahyu Susilo said that despite a strong 2007 
anti-trafficking law, implementation needs to be stronger. 
He praised the TIP report for putting pressure on other 
countries to improve their treatment of Indonesian workers. 
 
¶9.  (U) An NGO activist in the audience complained about poor 
protection of returning migrant workers at Jakarta 
 
JAKARTA 00001126  002 OF 002 
 
 
International Airport.  Made Arke acknowledged that although 
the migrant worker terminal was designed to protect workers, 
that in reality they are exploited there.  Wahyu Susilo 
suggested that workers have the freedom to use the special 
terminal set up for them or to go through regular immigration 
like other passengers. 
 
¶10.  (U) Other aspects of the discussion focused on technical 
issues of the TIP report which Ambassador CdeBaca explained. 
Overall, the DVC was notable for the openness of the 
discussion and the willingness of GOI officials to respond 
honestly on difficult issues.  Prior to this DVC, the 
Ministry of Manpower has seldom if ever openly admitted the 
shortcoming of the migrant worker protection system. 
Clearly, this ministry came prepared to respond to criticisms 
noted in the report.  The Foreign Ministry officials on the 
panel told Labatt that the Indonesian TIP report is a fair, 
accurate and in-depth assessment of the trafficking 
situation.  NGO activists told us the dialogue was 
outstanding, regretting only that there was not more time. 
 
EXTENSIVE NATIONAL COVERAGE 
 
¶11.  (U) National newspapers, TV and radio reported 
extensively on the presentation of the TIP Hero award to Elly 
Anita by Ambassador Hume.  They also interviewed Ms. Anita. 
The dialogue itself was also reported in some detail. 
Coverage reached tens of millions of Indonesians. 
HUME