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Safe haven project resurfaces
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Posted on Mar 08 2006
The United States International Mission met with lawmakers yesterday to lobby for the controversial safe haven project, which had received strong opposition when it was proposed during the previous administration.
USIM-Saipan president David Sablan made a presentation before members of the Legislature, including Senate President Joseph Mendiola and House Speaker Oscar M. Babauta.
Sablan said he wanted the lawmakers to understand that USIM was a legitimate humanitarian organization, despite suggestions made during the Dec. 29, 2006 public hearing that the group was not.
USIM seeks to establish on Saipan a safe haven for Vietnamese children who were taken across the border and sold to prostitution in Cambodia.
In his presentation, Sablan reiterated that USIM would establish the facility for the human trafficking victims at no cost to the Commonwealth.
According to Sablan, USIM-Saipan has now spent $100,000 preparing for the project. The organization has reportedly leased a property in Kagman II that would serve as shelter and school for the Vietnamese children once they had been rescued from Cambodia. The group has also started furnishing the space.
Sablan also noted that the project was in line with the federal government’s policy against human trafficking and white slavery.
To illustrate its legitimacy, USIM has cited national references that include U.S. diplomat Michelle Clark, U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback and U.S. Congressman Joseph Pitts. They are all members of the U.S. Helsinki Commission, an independent federal agency that monitors and encourages progress in implementing international human right standards.
USIM also said the group is recognized by the U.S. Department of State and the John Hopkins University.
Sablan urged the Legislature to adopt a resolution expressing support for the project. He said he could then talk to the administration and work with the Attorney General’s Office in promulgating necessary immigration rules and regulations that would allow the establishment of the proposed safe haven in the Commonwealth.
Sen. Pete Reyes, the most vocal critic of USIM’s project, was absent from yesterday’s meeting.
