Hanoi (VNA) – Law enforcement agencies of ASEAN member states discussed challenges and measures to strengthen regional cooperation in combating criminal fugitives as part of a high-level conference in Hanoi on September 30.
The ASEAN Law Enforcement High-level Conference on Cooperation in Combating Criminal Fugitives was hosted by the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security.
Strengthening legal frameworks and coordination
The event featured updates from ASEAN member states on national strategies and efforts to combat criminal fugitives, followed by discussions on challenges, trends and proposals to improve regional cooperation.
The Vietnamese delegation highlighted achievements in fugitive apprehension amid growing challenges posed by criminals’ increasing use of science, technology and digital tools to commit offences and evade law enforcement.
Under the direction of the Ministry of Public Security and its fugitive-related steering committee, Vietnam has taken measures to improve the effectiveness of fugitive searches and arrests, contributing to crime prevention, investigation and handling, as well as national security and public order.
As an ASEAN member, Vietnam pledges active and responsible participation in ASEAN mechanisms, including efforts to strengthen cooperation in combating criminal fugitives, an official said.
The Lao delegation highlighted positive results in national and regional efforts, particularly the cooperation with Vietnam in information sharing and the fight against drug-related and transnational crimes. The two sides have coordinated in identifying and apprehending fugitives who cross the border to evade law enforcement. Their agencies have worked together to apprehend and hand over hundreds of fugitives wanted for offences related to gambling, high-tech crimes and drug trafficking.
Reports by other ASEAN delegations also highlighted efforts to improve legal frameworks, strengthen inter-agency coordination and enhance law enforcement capacity. They outlined measures and operations targeting transnational crimes, including online fraud, cyber gambling and human trafficking.
Vietnam promotes regional cooperation
Vietnam has played an active role in promoting ASEAN cooperation in fugitive apprehension. It proposed the ASEAN Leaders’ Declaration on Enhancing Cooperation in Locating and Arresting Criminal Fugitives, which was adopted at the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on October 26, 2025.
The declaration provides an important political basis for ASEAN countries to enhance coordination in verifying information, apprehending and handling fugitives, in line with the goal of building ASEAN as a model region in combating transnational crime and working towards a crime-free ASEAN.
To help translate the declaration into substantive regional cooperation, the Ministry of Public Security hosted the high-level conference in Hanoi on September 30.
Participants discussed and agreed on strategic solutions to improve cooperation through ASEAN’s multilateral and bilateral mechanisms. They adopted the conference's joint statement and agreed on a draft joint action plan to strengthen cooperation in combating criminal fugitives.
In a pre-recorded message to the conference, ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn said transnational crime in ASEAN and beyond is becoming increasingly organised, adaptive and borderless. Criminal networks are exploiting technology, growing connectivity and differences in national legal systems to expand their activities and evade law enforcement.
These developments make cooperation among law enforcement agencies, both within ASEAN and internationally, increasingly important, Kao said, stressing that the conference provided an opportunity to review practices, reinforce coordination and enhance collective capacity to address emerging challenges.
He recognised Vietnam’s leading role in developing the ASEAN Leaders’ Declaration adopted in 2025, saying the document had created a political foundation for stronger cooperation in apprehending criminal fugitives as part of broader efforts to uphold the rule of law and combat transnational crime./.
