Cambodia and other ASEAN member states have further strengthened cross-border law enforcement cooperation, with a focus on pursuing criminal suspects who flee across borders within the region.
A high-level meeting of ASEAN law enforcement agencies was recently held in Hanoi, Vietnam. Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sar Sokha led a high-level delegation to the meeting. The meeting was hosted by Vietnam's Ministry of Public Security and attended by representatives of all 11 ASEAN member states and the ASEAN Secretariat.
The meeting focused on strengthening information sharing and cross-border law enforcement cooperation among member states, tracking criminal suspects who escape from one country to another, and exchanging experiences and practices in combating transnational crime.
Participants discussed legal procedures, information exchange and cross-border law enforcement coordination involved in fugitive pursuit, adopted a joint statement and agreed in principle on a joint action plan to strengthen cooperation in pursuing fugitives.
According to information released by Vietnam, the action plan will focus on strengthening legal cooperation, information exchange, law enforcement capacity building and public awareness, and will advance closer cooperation between law enforcement agencies of all countries.
In addition, ASEAN will also enhance cooperation with dialogue partners, United Nations agencies and other international organizations, and promote mutual legal assistance in criminal justice and extradition cooperation in accordance with the domestic laws of each country and international law.
Vietnam also proposed exploring the establishment of a more formal regional fugitive pursuit mechanism, including setting up hotlines, strengthening suspect identity verification and rapid transfer, and using INTERPOL and ASEANAPOL databases for information sharing.