Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) has urged all States to ensure greater protection for their populations in combating terrorism and transnational crimes, and in this regard, further urge all States to ensure that their national laws or legislations particularly concerning the combat against terrorism do not limit individual rights and that these are not discriminatory or xenophobic. Member States of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) have been fostering cooperation to combat transnational crime for more than two decades. This ASEAN framework of cooperation is consistent with the stand of NAM in combating the threat of transnational crime.
ASEAN reiterated its commitment to combat transnational crime during the Eighteenth ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime (18th AMMTC) which was convened in Vientiane, Lao PDR, on 28 August 2024. The Meeting was preceded by the Preparatory ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting on Transnational Crime (SOMTC) for the 18th AMMTC on 27 August 2024. The Meeting was chaired by Lao PDR, under the theme of “ASEAN: Enhancing Connectivity and Resilience”. The Meeting exchanged views on recent and emerging trends in transnational crime and the progress of implementation of the ASEAN Plan of Action (PoA) in Combating Transnational Crime (2016-2025). The Meeting also saw the adoption of a Declaration, a Joint Statement and other guiding documents as the outcome documents. The 18th AMMTC also welcomed Malaysia as the incoming AMMTC Chair in 2025.
Secretary-General of ASEAN Dr. Kao Kim Hourn in his opening remarks said that the evolving nature of transnational crime in the digital age underscores the importance of adapting our strategies to effectively address new threats. Today’s landscape of transnational crime is increasingly complex, driven by the rapid evolution of cyberspace and its interconnected nature with various forms of crime. The proliferation of cybercrime has created a new frontier where criminal networks exploit technological advancements and gaps in cross-border cooperation and coordination. The ASEAN Secretary-General welcomed AMMTC intensifying its concerted efforts to shape ASEAN’s collective agenda to combat both current and emerging transnational crimes.
The 18th AMMTC adopted the Concept Note on the Establishment of the SOMTC Working Group on People Smuggling and welcomed the establishment of this Working Group as a platform to strengthen regional capacity and improve efforts in combating people smuggling in the ASEAN region. It also commended the efforts undertaken by Malaysia in leading the development of the Concept Note and looked forward to its inaugural Meeting. It also adopted the Guidelines on Effective Coordination for the Focal Points of the AMMTC and Its Subsidiary Mechanisms, in order to support the operationalisation of the work of and effectively handle the increasing coordination tasks within the subsidiary bodies under the AMMTC.
One of the important outcomes of the 18th AMMTC was commitment to address the menace of online job scams in the ASEAN countries. The 18th AMMTC adopted the Vientiane Declaration on Enhancing Law Enforcement Cooperation Against Online Job Scams to reaffirm the shared commitment to tackle online job scams and associated crimes, particularly money laundering, cybercrime, trafficking in persons, and people smuggling, through concerted and sustained efforts under existing mechanisms. The Vientiane Declaration also called for strengthening cooperation and coordination, especially among law enforcement and border management agencies of the ASEAN Member States, for a timely and effective response to online job scams and to prevent survivors from being re-trafficked into forced criminalities, including through information sharing, capacity building, mutual legal assistance, investigations/coordinated operations, as appropriate.
Another important outcome of the 18th AMMTC was the endorsement of the ASEAN Leaders’ Declaration on Enhanced Cooperation to Combat Illicit Drug Trafficking and Precursor Chemicals aimed to strengthen the shared commitment to effectively prevent and counter illicit drug production, processes, trafficking and abuse in ASEAN.
