InfoQuest, (April 3, 2019) -- H.E. General Prayut Chan-o-cha, Prime Minister of Thailand, attended and addressed the Opening Ceremony of the High Level Regional Conference: Synchronizing Trade and Security Plans in Support of ASEAN 2025. The main objective of the Conference is to strengthen cooperation to safeguard the region from transnational crime and other cross-border challenges, while facilitating trade, investment and movement of peoples in line with the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI). PM Prayut said, "I am confident that the outcomes of this year’s Conference will lead towards the development of more concrete and sustainable border management cooperation in ASEAN."
Today, transnational crime is on the rise, in part due to advances in technology, enhanced transport connectivity in the region, as well as the increased popularity of information technology and digital systems and devices for such things as daily communication and online transactions. Without the appropriate preventive and counter measures, however, these developments can be channels for transnational crime, which would be a complex challenge and could bring about widespread adverse effects politically, economically, and socially, affecting also human security.
"Thailand proposes that ASEAN should consider developing a more coordinated border management cooperation arrangement to protect the region from transnational crime and ensure safe and sustainable cross-border flows of trade, investment and peoples," said PM Prayut.
He added that this Conference has provided an opportunity for representatives present to exchange views and perspectives in all levels, and put forward specific measures from three aspects:
First, the sharing of information and exchange of intelligence between ASEAN Member States and the UNODC to prevent serious threats to our society, peoples and trade;
Second, strengthening cooperation in preventing and combatting transnational crime and cross-border challenges in a systematic and holistic manner;
Third, promoting sustainable development at the local level in line with IAI which aims to narrow regional development gaps. This will in turn address transnational crime at its root causes and promote intra-regional trade. Thailand stands ready to share our experiences with ASEAN Member States and UNODC members, particularly on the topic of applying the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy to efforts to attain the SDGs in partnership with friends around the world, or what we call the SEP for SDGs Partnership.
In addition to discussing the security and economic perspectives of border management cooperation, the Conference should also address legal issues and building operational capacity for effective border management. Thailand will compile all of the recommendations from this Conference and submit them to the relevant ASEAN sectoral meetings, especially the Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime (SOMTC) and the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime (AMMTC), the latter being a meeting to be hosted by Thailand later this year. The outcomes of the Conference will also be presented to ASEAN Leaders at the 35th ASEAN Summit in November 2019 for endorsement.
"I hope that this Conference will serve as a first step in encouraging information sharing and the exchange of best practices on border management among ASEAN Member States, which will lead to a more concrete ASEAN-wide border management cooperation arrangement in the future," said PM Prayut.
Source: InfoQuest, by Tanit Tongnok / Nisarat / Rachada, translated by Xinhua Silk Road
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