VZCZCXRO5091
OO RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHHI #0068/01 0221020
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O R 221019Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0767
INFO ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE
RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY 0408

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 HANOI 000068 
 
SIPDIS 
STATE FOR G/TIP, INL, DRL, EAP/MLS, AND EAP/RSP 
USAID FOR EGAT/WID, KBLAKESLEE, ASIA/ME/IR, LSAULS AND ASIA/EAA, DKHY 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV KTIP KCRM PHUM PREL ELAB VM
SUBJECT: Vietnamese Border Guards' role in Combating Human 
Trafficking 
 
REF: 09 HANOI 1436 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary: In a January 7 meeting, the Deputy Chief of the 
Ministry of Defense's Border Guards Division, Bui Quang An, stated 
criminal activity, including human trafficking, was on the rise. 
The northern border provinces of Lang Son, Lao Cai and An Giang 
registered the largest number of TIP victim returnees.  The Border 
Guards are implementing a new initiative to track cases of 
suspected trafficking, to date, 205 cases have been turned over to 
Ministry of Public Security (MPS) for investigation and 
prosecution.  Bui Quang An said, the Border Guards, who work 
closely with domestic and international counterparts, and would 
welcome U.S. assistance to expand TIP shelters.  An earlier 
TIP-focused trip to Lang Son and Cao Bang provided an opportunity 
to discuss anti-TIP efforts on the ground with the Border Guards 
and their government counterparts, as well as an opportunity to 
visit local TIP shelters.  Officials are increasingly eager to 
discuss TIP and quite proud of their outreach and educational 
efforts, increased coordination with counterparts across the 
border, and measures to assist victims.  Vietnam's efforts to 
address labor trafficking and trafficking involving men continue to 
lag. However, this reflects both the actual scale of the problem 
(which by all accounts is less severe than trafficking for sexual 
exploitation) and the fact that definitional shifts pushed this 
year at the national level have yet to register throughout the 
government.  End Summary. 
 
The Overall Picture 
---------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) On January 7, Poloff met Bui Quang An, Deputy Chief of 
the MOD's Border Guards Division to discuss the Border Guards' 
anti-human trafficking efforts.  An, together with several 
colleagues, explained that Vietnam's 4,610-kilometer borders with 
China, Laos, and Cambodia consist of rough, often mountainous 
terrain that is porous and difficult to monitor.  The Border Guards 
efforts to combat crime, including trafficking, are compounded by 
the fact that villages located along the border share long-lasting 
ties with another.  Vietnam currently has 141 border posts, of 
which 42 are major international border gates with significant 
amounts of travel and trade, but there are an even great number of 
informal, unmanned crossings.  Additionally, An stated that 
economic growth and increased trade have spurred a rise in 
cross-border criminal activity, including human trafficking. 
According to the Border Guards, the provinces of Lang Son, Lao Cai 
and An Giang received the largest number of TIP victim returnees in 
¶2009.  Along the Laos border, Ha Tinh and Quang Tri received the 
most returnees, while An Giang, Kien Giang, Tay Ninh, and Lang An 
were the provinces along the Cambodian border with the most TIP 
return cases. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Bui Quang An reported that most Vietnamese trafficking 
rings originate further inland away from border areas and that the 
majority of trafficking victims continue to be from rural areas. 
Most TIP cases across the Chinese border involve women trafficked 
for prostitution or forced marriage, and children who have been 
kidnapped to be adopted into a family; there are also cases of 
Vietnamese children being trafficked across the Chinese border for 
labor, An said.  Most women and children trafficked to Laos are 
victims of sex trafficking.  An stressed that while hard data is 
scarce, he and the Border Guards suspected that the number of 
trafficking cases was probably increasing, with a particular 
increase in the number of cases involving children kidnapped to 
China.  (Note: Vietnam defines child selling to be a form of 
trafficking.  The annual TIP report does not, because the practice 
does not necessarily involve sexual exploitation or forced labor. 
End note.) 
 
The Border Guards' Role in fighting TIP 
---------- 
¶4.  (SBU) In 2009, the Border Guards established a special task 
force on human trafficking and expanded efforts to monitor and 
track suspected cases.  This year, the unit identified 205 cases of 
suspected trafficking, which were turned over to MPS for 
investigation and prosecution.  154 women and children were 
"rescued" by the Border Guards, while there were 131 returnee cases 
from neighboring governments, An said.  (Note: The 131 cases do not 
indicate the actual number of individuals returned, as An said that 
each individual case might have more than returnee.  End note.) 
According to a May 2008 GVN Inter-ministerial Circular, the Border 
Guards receive both self-return and government-return cases. 
Victims returned by the government are referred directly to MOLISA 
for shelter assistance, job assistance and travel to home 
provinces.  In self-return cases, the Border Guards coordinate with 
MPS to receive and interview the victim, and to determine whether 
the returnee is a victim of trafficking at which point the case is 
 
HANOI 00000068  002 OF 003 
 
 
referred to MOLISA.  Border Guards interviews are typically 
conducted by male officers as there are no female officers serving 
at border posts.  At a few posts, female staff have been "borrowed" 
from other government agencies to help facilitate the interviews of 
victims.  Currently, Lang Son, Lao Cai and An Giang are the only 
provinces with dedicated TIP shelters run by the government. 
Victims can be referred to these shelters for short term stays, but 
the majority are sent to their home provinces.  The Border Guards 
indicated they would like to expand the number of shelters 
available for TIP victims, but funding constraints limit their 
ability to do so. 
 
Looking back on 2009 and forward to 2010 
---------- 
¶5.  (SBU) The Border Guards were active in 2009 according to An. 
Based on training from the National Standing Committee-130 
(Vietnam's standing committee on TIP), Border Guards trainers 
conducted follow-on training sessions for staff at several border 
posts this year.  As part of their outreach efforts, the Border 
Guards worked with local leaders in border areas to discuss ways to 
coordinate local prevention efforts with Border Guards' activities. 
The Border Guards conducted public awareness campaigns on the 
dangers of trafficking, including hosting public gatherings in 
border villages.  The Border Guards also meet regularly with 
counterparts in neighboring countries to discuss TIP issues.  (At 
the national level, counterparts meet annually; at the provincial 
level, every six months; while border checkpoint officials meet 
with their counterparts quarterly or even monthly.)  An indicated 
that the provincial and local border checkpoint meetings are the 
most effective as discussions are based on the day-to-day 
operations of both sides and "real" results were obtained from 
them. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Looking ahead, An said that the Border Guards would focus 
on strengthening their ability to conduct surveillance and arrest 
suspected traffickers. They already have conducted two such 
training courses.  In 2010, the Border Guards also intend to 
continue to raise awareness of trafficking at border areas through 
outreach efforts in border communities, improve coordination with 
counterparts in neighboring countries, and build additional TIP 
shelters located at border "hot spots." 
 
Situation on the Ground in Lang Son 
---------- 
 
¶7.  (SBU) The account given by An tracks with impressions from a 
December TIP-focused trip by Deputy PolChief to the northern border 
provinces of Lang Son and Cao Bang.  Border Guards officials, along 
with representatives from MOLISA and the Women's Union, were eager 
to discuss efforts to combat trafficking and confirmed that of the 
two provinces, Lang Son sees more cases.  Coordination with the 
national-level Task Force 130 is very close, as is cooperation 
cross-border with counterparts on the Chinese side.  Officials in 
both provinces contended that trafficking was overwhelmingly an 
issue of sexual exploitation not labor, though they also included 
child selling in their discussions.  Officials discussed efforts, 
led by the Women's union but coordinated with MPS and the Border 
Guards, to send teams to villages and communes to discuss the 
dangers of trafficking; they said that there were no problems 
reaching remote areas populated by ethnic minority groups, adding 
that the teams typically included people who were also members of 
that group and could speak the local language.  MOLISA confirmed 
that they work closely with the Border Guards in processing victims 
after they are identified and returned.  The Cao Bang MOLISA 
representative went to some length to discuss how TIP victims are 
offered vocational training in agriculture, animal husbandry, and 
household economics. 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Deputy PolChief also visited the TIP intake 
center/shelter in Lang Son, located on the Border Guards' compound 
near the border.  The request was made the day of the visit, 
without advance notice, but the local officials were keen to show 
off the facility.  There were currently no victims housed at the 
center, but the facility appeared clean and orderly, if rudimentary 
in keeping with the general economic conditions of the area.  (Lang 
Son and Cao Bang rank near the bottom of the Vietnam's Provincial 
Competitiveness Index.)  Near the shelter was a display featuring 
photos of arrested smugglers, including several -- all women -- 
arraigned for human trafficking.  The Cao Bang facility was located 
in the Provincial capital and also functions as an orphanage and 
retirement home, though it also provides shelter, medical 
assistance, and counseling to TIP victims as needed.  There were 
currently no TIP victims at the facility, and the director said 
that they typically receive fewer than ten a year; those that do 
come to the facility usually stay for around three months.  Echoing 
comments by An, officials in both provinces reported that the 
 
HANOI 00000068  003 OF 003 
 
 
majority of TIP victims are from other provinces, and they usually 
want to go home as soon as they can. 
 
Comment 
---------- 
¶9.  (SBU) Post's discussion with the Border Guards' Bui Quang An 
was positive and open and tracks with the tenor of conversations in 
Lang Son and Cao Bang.  Officials in all three locations were 
willing to "go off script" and provide their candid perspectives on 
the trafficking situation in Vietnam.  All were quite proud to 
relate their educational outreach and prevention efforts, 
improvements in cross-border coordination, and victim assistance 
programs.  Questions related to male and labor trafficking were met 
with a certain amount of puzzlement, an indication both that it is 
a less severe problem overall and that the Border Guards' attention 
remains focused on women and children and cases of sex trafficking. 
As reported previously (reftel 09 Hanoi 1436), national-level TIP 
authorities appear to be making a conscious effort to address labor 
trafficking and trafficking that involves male victims, but our 
discussions here suggests that the definitional shift has not 
registered throughout the GVN.  Victim services continue to be an 
area of weakness, though the Border Guards' interest in increasing 
the number of temporary TIP shelters to ensure that victims receive 
professional counseling and medical services is a welcome 
development and worth exploring further.  Funding, both domestic 
and international, remains a significant challenge; however, as our 
trip to Lang Son and Cao Bang demonstrate, a little can go a long 
way. 
Michalak