ASEAN National Police (ASEANAPOL) have unanimously pledged to strengthen regional cooperation and jointly combat online scams, financial fraud, and other transnational crimes.
This commitment was made at the 43rd ASEANAPOL Conference, held from November 3rd to 7th in Bangkok, Thailand, hosted by the Royal Thai Police. The theme of the conference was “Collaborative Action: Combating Scams, Countering Fraud, Protecting the People.”
The five-day conference brought together police chiefs and senior law enforcement officials from all ASEAN member states, as well as dialogue partners and observers from around the world.
The ASEANAPOL Secretariat released a statement today (10th), highlighting that the conference focused on strengthening law enforcement cooperation mechanisms and formulating unified strategies to address transnational crime, particularly the increasingly rampant cybercrime.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin emphasized in his keynote speech at the opening ceremony that online scams and financial fraud have become a serious threat to national and regional security, and called on ASEAN to take unified action to tackle cybercrime.
“We must strengthen intelligence sharing, joint law enforcement, and preventive measures to combat transnational criminal activities, including human trafficking and border-related crimes.”
He also mentioned Thailand’s ongoing efforts in border security, especially in the Thai-Myanmar border areas, stating: “We are firmly committed to dismantling cross-border criminal networks. Protecting people from online threats is not the responsibility of any single country, but the common mission of all ASEAN members.”
General Torsak Sukvimol, Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police and Chairman of the Conference’s Executive Committee, reiterated in his welcome address that Thailand will continue to uphold the vision of ASEANAPOL to build a safer and more resilient region.
Key members attending the conference included Philippine National Police Chief Jose Melencio Natividad, who served as Vice Chairman, as well as Colonel David Martinez Wenluan, Executive Director of the ASEANAPOL Secretariat.
Malaysia was represented by Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ayob Khan.
ASEANAPOL stated: “Core topics discussed at the meeting included enhancing cybercrime response capabilities, strengthening financial intelligence cooperation, and developing digital forensics technology.”
Of the twelve dialogue partner countries, nine sent representatives, including Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the ASEAN Secretariat, demonstrating the international community’s continued support for ASEAN police efforts in fighting transnational crime.
The conference concluded with the signing of the “43rd ASEANAPOL Joint Communique.” This communique serves as a strategic roadmap outlining future directions for cooperation, aiming to build a safer, smarter, and more resilient ASEAN society.
The ASEANAPOL Secretariat summarized that the joint communique reaffirms member states’ strong resolve to enhance regional law enforcement cooperation in the face of increasingly complex security challenges, particularly digital threats.