The Chief Judges of the People Supreme’s Courts of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia have co-chaired a meeting with judges from the three countries’ border localities with an aim of giving a boost to cooperation in combating transnational crime.

The three-day meeting, the second of its kind, is underway in Siem Reap , Cambodia , starting from October 27.

In his opening speech, Cambodian Chief Judge Dith Munthy said the meeting demonstrates a new move to show the determination of the three countries’ supreme courts in boosting both bilateral and multilateral cooperation in the fight against transnational crime.

He stressed this task requires a high sense of political will of the three countries’ administrations as well as people’s involvement, adequate infrastructure, quick information sharing, and support from regional and international security partners.

According to Vietnamese Chief Judge Truong Hoa Binh, the meeting takes place at a time when the organised criminal gangs have outreached their operation beyond their national boundary in a more complicated way, involved instability-causing implicit elements, demanding closer court cooperation around the world.

As a good venue for reviewing past cooperation, the meeting will also enable the three countries’ court sectors to exchange experience in crime prevention and legal assistance as well as discuss cooperation mechanisms for them and for their subordinates at border sharing provinces, Binh said.

Delegates will discuss a report on cooperation between the court sectors of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia and witness the signing of a joint statement at the event, which will close on October 29.

The first meeting took place in coastal Nha Trang city, Vietnam, in December 2010.-VNA