VZCZCXRO6940
RR RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHPF #0520/01 2080923
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 270923Z JUL 09
FM AMEMBASSY PHNOM PENH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0985
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PHNOM PENH 000520 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/MLS, G/TIP C. CHAN-DOWNER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL KTIP ASEC CB
SUBJECT:  Ambassador Raises Concerns on TIP and Security with Preah 
Sihanouk Governor 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary.  Ambassador Rodley called on Preah Sihanouk 
provincial Governor Sbong Sarath July 21 to discuss cooperation in 
combating trafficking in persons and pedophilia in the province. 
She raised concerns about weak prosecution of sex offenders in the 
provincial courts and the need to focus local prevention efforts on 
vulnerable families.  The provincial administration appears to lack 
an adequate response to address the challenge of rising crime in the 
province, despite the threat to its lucrative tourism industry.  End 
Summary. 
 
Background on Preah Sihanouk Province 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) Preah Sihanouk province was elevated from a municipality 
earlier this year, and is composed of four districts.  According to 
the Governor, the province comprises 2,561 square kilometers; 
forests and mountains make up two thirds of the land, and 
agriculture land is less than 50 percent of the total area.  A 
population of 182,648 people lives in the province, 108,558 of whom 
are over 18 years of age.  He reported that 50.8 percent of the 
population work in agriculture, 37.9 work in the service sector, and 
11.3 percent are employed in industry. 
 
Prosecuting Sex Offenders and Combating TIP 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶3. (SBU) The Ambassador applauded police efforts to combat 
trafficking in persons and arrest sex offenders in the province. 
She complimented the high level of cooperation between local police 
and U.S. law enforcement authorities and local NGOs to identify and 
arrest sex offenders.  (Note:  Sihanoukville has developed a 
reputation as an attractive destination for western sexual predators 
in recent years and several high-profile sex offenders have been 
arrested in the area.  End Note.)  However, the Ambassador commented 
that the local judicial system has been a weak link in prosecuting 
offenders and urged the Governor to engage his colleagues about this 
concern.  She also expressed her dismay at the decision to release a 
convicted sex offender from prison for a day to attend to his 
business interests in the area, describing it as a "stain on 
Cambodia's honor" and giving the impression that the government is 
not as serious about these types of crime as it should be. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Having met the previous day with organizations working to 
protect children from exploitation, the Ambassador raised her 
concerns about alarming reports that some parents exploit their own 
children, selling them to pedophiles, due to poverty and drug and 
alcohol abuse.  She urged the Governor to develop a prevention 
strategy which works with parents to avoid the abuse of children. 
 
¶5. (SBU) The Deputy Commissioner of the Provincial Police also 
attended the meeting and provided the Ambassador with an overview of 
the TIP situation in the province.  He explained that trafficking in 
persons in the province is linked to sexual exploitation, not labor, 
and trafficking victims are destined for brothels, karaoke parlors, 
and massage parlors.  Local residents are also trafficked to 
Thailand for sexual exploitation, according to the Deputy 
Commissioner.  He detailed recent efforts to combat TIP, reporting 
the number of suspects arrested on TIP, prostitution, indecent acts, 
and pornography charges.  (Comment:  The inclusion of prostitution 
and pornography offenses in the Deputy Commissioner's "TIP" 
statistics illustrates the continued confusion among legal and law 
enforcement authorities about "trafficking-related" offenses under 
the RGC's anti-trafficking law.  End Comment.)  He also shared with 
the Ambassador a leaflet with a TIP hotline to report suspected 
cases which the police developed and provide to area businesses, 
such as hotels, guesthouses, and karaoke parlors in an effort to 
combat the crime. 
 
Rising Crime Threatens Tourism Sector 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) The Ambassador raised concerns regarding security in the 
province, particularly the increase in crime affecting tourists and 
resident foreigners.  She encouraged the Governor to take urgent 
action to address the growing problem.  She noted that the tourism 
sector is heavily dependent on security and stressed that mid-range 
tourists would be discouraged from visiting if the area develops a 
reputation for being unsafe. 
 
¶7. (SBU) In response, the Governor stated that he was very concerned 
about providing security for tourists in Sihanoukville and that he 
plans to improve security in tourist areas.  However, he did not 
elaborate on his administration's strategy to accomplish this goal. 
Instead, he explained that improving security is a challenge given 
the limited number of police available to patrol a large area, and 
conceded that there are gaps in their coverage where crime can 
occur.  Rather than offer a strategy for preventing crime, he 
 
PHNOM PENH 00000520  002 OF 002 
 
 
complained to the Ambassador that offenders commit crimes between 6 
and 7 p.m. to take advantage of the time when police "have their 
rest and eat dinner."  He blamed street children and drug addicts 
for bag snatching, targeting tourists.  He held tourists responsible 
in part for not taking greater precautions for their own safety.  He 
mentioned that in an effort to protect tourists from themselves, 
foreigners (who are in general inexperienced and accident-prone on 
motorbikes) are not permitted to rent or ride motorbikes by 
themselves.  (Note:  Enforcement of this policy appears to be weak, 
as Econoff noted that motorbikes are readily available for rent to 
foreigners in the area.  End Note.) 
 
Development Priorities for the Province 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) The Governor highlighted his administration's efforts to 
improve health care, education, and infrastructure throughout the 
province.  He explained that expansion of health care centers to the 
local/commune level have reportedly resulted in an eighty percent 
drop in illnesses (unspecified) in the province.  However, he 
conceded that they still need to strengthen the health sector 
throughout the province.  The Governor reported that the province 
has five high schools, 15 junior high schools, and a primary school 
in each commune, and provides training at the community level to 
reduce illiteracy.  New road projects are improving linkages between 
villages, and larger roads have been upgraded with street light 
installations and drainage systems.  Recognizing the importance of 
the province's beaches to the tourism sector, the Governor told the 
Ambassador that his administration plans to improve tourist services 
by providing parking spaces and areas for sitting near the seaside. 
 
 
¶9. (SBU) In closing, the Governor expressed his appreciation for the 
Ambassador's visit to his province and for the recent visits of U.S. 
Navy ships.  The Ambassador highlighted these ship visits as a 
symbol of the strengthening U.S.-Cambodia relationship.  The 
Governor pledged continued efforts to combat TIP and reduce crime in 
the province.  He was also grateful to the U.S. government for its 
openness in allowing foreigners to go to the U.S. to study, 
informing the Ambassador that his two children are currently 
students in the U.S. 
 
RODLEY