Myanmar attends 22nd ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime-22nd SOMTC

 

July 20

 

A Myanmar delegation attended the 22nd ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime22nd SOMTC, chaired by Cambodia through videoconferencing yesterday.

 

The meeting was attended by secretaries and the director-general level representatives from 10 ASEAN member countries; the Director of Political and Security Community and officials from the ASEAN Secretariat. Myanmar senior officials led by the leader of SOMTC (Myanmar) Vice-Chief of the Myanmar Police Force Police Maj-Gen Aung Aung joined the meeting from Nay Pyi Taw.

 

The SOMTC leaders from 10 ASEAN countries exchanged views on the international level, regional-level and national-level cooperation in the fight against transnational crimes. The meeting also discussed matters related to the prevention and combat of the threat of terrorism that infiltrated the Asian region, drug problems, arms smuggling, human trafficking, cybercrime and the fight against the illegal transport of wild animals and timber. In this meeting, Myanmar SOMTC leader, Police Maj-Gen Aung Aung clarified Myanmar’s counter-terrorism process, anti-narcotics and anti-arms smuggling activities and cooperation with neighbouring countries.

 

In the afternoon, the SOMTC process (2022-2024) which will implement the ASEAN Action Plan (2016-2025) on combating transnational crime; SOMTC’s TOR and the TOR of the SOMTC Working Group on General Transnational Crime have been approved, and each country discussed completed projects on combating transnational crimes and pending/in-progress situations.

 

Afterwards, the respective countries presented meeting plans with China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Canada, European Union, India, New Zealand, and the United States, which have been cooperating in the fight against transnational crime in the Asian region, and preparatory activities.

 

The 22nd SOMTC and related meetings were agreed to continue on 20 and 21 July. — MNA