KUALA LUMPUR: The 25th ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime (SOMTC) concluded in Putrajaya after five days of intensive discussions aimed at combating 10 major cross-border crimes affecting the region.
The meeting, hosted by Malaysia as the ASEAN Chair, focused on terrorism, cybercrime, human trafficking, drug smuggling, wildlife and timber trafficking, and money laundering. Mohamad Azlan Razali, secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs (KDN) International Division, highlighted Malaysia’s key role in shaping short-term and long-term action plans to strengthen regional crime-fighting efforts.
“The SOMTC platform allows us to move collectively and coordinate actions at regional and domestic levels,“ Mohamad Azlan said during an appearance on Bernama TV’s ‘ASEAN: From Kuala Lumpur to the World’ programme. He emphasised the importance of partnerships with dialogue countries like the US and China in knowledge and technology transfer.
The meeting, which began on June 23, included senior officials from all ASEAN member states, observer country Timor-Leste, and representatives from 10 dialogue partners, including the US, China, the UK, and Australia.
One key challenge discussed was the differing legal frameworks among ASEAN nations, particularly in handling crimes like drug trafficking. To address this, a long-term initiative involves publishing a legal handbook to serve as a common reference for member countries.
“Through this handbook, each member country can review their legislation to better combat cross-border crimes,“ Mohamad Azlan explained.
The SOMTC also facilitates strategic information sharing among ASEAN nations to dismantle transnational crime syndicates more effectively. For instance, close cooperation between Malaysian police and neighbouring countries has helped rescue citizens trapped in scam call centres abroad.
