THE Myanmar delegation, led by Police Lt-Gen Win Zaw Moe, Chief of the Myanmar Police Force, attended the 43rd ASEANAPOL Conference, held at the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand, from 3 to 7 November.
During the opening ceremony on 4 November, Royal Thai Police Commissioner General Kittharath Punpetch delivered the welcoming speech, followed by an opening address by Thailand’s Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Mr Anutin Charnvirakul.
Police chiefs, deputy police chiefs, and senior officers from the ten ASEAN member states participated in the conference, along with representatives from the ASEANAPOL Secretariat, observer countries, and partner organizations, including Australia, China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Russia, Türkiye, the United Kingdom, Interpol, the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Canada, the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), France, Fiji, Timor-Leste, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Italy, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the Gulf Cooperation Council Police (GCCPOL).
The conference included Commission A, B, and C meetings, where discussions focused on joint efforts to combat drug trafficking, terrorism, the illegal arms trade, human trafficking, wildlife crimes, financial crimes, cybercrimes, and maritime crimes.
Participants also discussed enhancing the use of the Electronic ASEANAPOL Database System (e-ADS), mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, officer exchange programmes, and strengthening the ASEAN Police Forensic Science Network (APFSN).
During the first plenary session, the Myanmar Police Chief, who chaired the 42nd ASEANAPOL Conference, delivered an opening address and presented a summary report on the implementation of the 42nd Joint Communiqué before officially handing over the ASEANAPOL chairmanship to the Chief of the Royal Thai Police.
Subsequent meetings involved further discussions among ASEAN member delegations, observer countries, and partner organizations on enhancing police cooperation and capacity-building in the fight against transnational crimes.
The second plenary session, held on 6 November, reviewed the outcomes of the Commission meetings and finalised the 43rd Joint Communiqué, which was signed by the heads of delegation from all ten ASEAN member states. The “Bangkok Joint Declaration on Eliminating Scam Centres Linked to Trafficking in Persons for Forced Criminality” was also adopted as an annexe to the communiqué. The Myanmar delegation returned to Yangon by air on the evening of 7 November. — MNA/KZL
