HANOI: Asean law enforcement leaders gathered on Wednesday (Sept 30) to strengthen regional cooperation in tracking and apprehending criminal fugitives, as the region steps up efforts to combat transnational crime.
According to Vietnam News Agency (VNA), the Asean Law Enforcement High-Level Conference on Cooperation in Combating Criminal Fugitives was hosted by Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security.
In his opening remarks, Minister of Public Security General Luong Tam Quang said transnational crime, including offences committed by wanted persons, had become increasingly complex amid deepening globalisation and international integration.
Since the beginning of 2026, transnational crime involving Asean countries has continued to increase amid global and regional crime trends and domestic socio-economic changes, particularly drug-related crime, human trafficking and cyber fraud, which are being carried out using increasingly sophisticated methods, Quang said.
He said the number of fugitives and criminals taking advantage of the territories of Asean member states to commit offences had also continued to increase, seriously undermining respect for the rule of law and weakening criminal justice systems.
Quang said the situation had created greater challenges and highlighted the need for stronger international cooperation among law enforcement agencies in the region and worldwide to combat transnational crime.
He affirmed that Asean is a closely connected and highly important multilateral cooperation mechanism for Vietnam.
At the 47th Asean Summit in Kuala Lumpur in 2025, Vietnam proposed the adoption of an AseanLeaders’ Declaration on enhancing the effectiveness of cooperation in tracking fugitives.
The adoption of the declaration provided an important basis for Vietnam and other Asean countries to enhance coordination in verifying, apprehending and handling wanted persons, in line with efforts to build Asean as a model for combating transnational crime and working towards a crime-free region.
The conference serves as an important forum for senior Asean law enforcement leaders to strengthen connections and improve cooperation in combating fugitives, contributing to the effective implementation of the Asean Plan of Action on Combating Transnational Crime 2026-2035. - Bernama/VNA
