ASEAN officials gather in Cambodia to tackle cross-border crimes

Immigration chiefs from the ten ASEAN member countries have met in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, to discuss ways to tighten regional cooperation in immigration management.

Major General Le Thanh Dung, head of the Ministry of Public Security’s Immigration Management Department has led a Vietnamese delegation to the 19th Meeting of the ASEAN Directors-General of Immigration Departments (DGICM 19) and Heads of Consular Affairs Divisions of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs (DGICM 19) + Australia.

Following the opening ceremony on September 8, the participants engaged in an in-camera working session to discuss issues regarding the management of immigration and migration in the ten-member group.

They will assess the implementation of the ASEAN Plan of Action for Cooperation on Immigration Matters and debate other issues emerging since the DGICM 18.

The officials will discuss measures and cooperation mechanisms in immigration and consular affairs within ASEAN, especially those in information sharing and collaboration in building capacity for immigration managers.

Projects and programmes on immigration cooperation among ASEAN as well as between the bloc and its partners, especially Australia, will be also tabled.

The three-day meeting is intended to facilitate travelling of ASEAN citizens, looking towards the ASEAN Community at the end of this year.

Besides, the officials will seek ways to address illegal migration, human trafficking, the use of artificial passports and documents, and cross-border crimes.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.-VNA