Bandar Seri Begawan - Brunei Darussalam has joined other Asean member states in taking terrorist threats seriously in this region. Closer cooperation with our partners in the region is vital in the fight against terrorism.

It is important for government agencies, especially law enforcement agencies, to participate and cooperate with the community, especially with grassroot and village leaders, to be extra vigilant in raising public awareness about transnational crime. In order to meet challenges ahead, accelerated efforts must be made to build the necessary capacities at the community and national levels to manage and reduce the risks of transnational crime.

In relation to border control, the Department of Immigration and National Registration has implemented a comprehensive Border Control System in order to effectively monitor and control the movement of people in and out of the country. This system uses state-of-the-art technology, including Colour Passport Scanner with built-in 'Radio Frequency Identification Document' reader for e-passports.

This was highlighted by Pehin Orang Kaya Johan Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Awang Hj Adanan, Minister of Home Affairs, as head of the Brunei Darussalam delegation, in his statement at the 7th Asean Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime (7th AMMTC) in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

The meeting was followed by the 4th Asean Plus Three (China, Japan and Republic of Korea) Meeting (4th AMMTC+3) on November 17-18 2009. At this meeting, Asean ministers also held the 1st Asean Plus China Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime (1st AMMTC + China).

Also in the delegation were Awg Hj Omar bin Hj Abdul Rahman, Permanent Secretary at the Prime Minister's Office and officials from the Prime Minister's Office, the Attorney-General's Chambers and Ministry of Home Affairs. The meeting was preceded by a Preparatory Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime (SOMTC) for the 7th AMMTC on November 16, 2009.

The 7th AMMTC was officially opened by Hun Sen, Prime Minister of Cambodia. The meeting was chaired by Sar Kheng, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Cambodia.

At the 7th AMMTC, the Asean ministers issued a joint statement, in which the ministers noted with satisfaction the progress and achievements attained under the purview of responsible sectoral bodies, and recommended the synergy in executing their respective action plans to combat transnational crime.

They also lauded Asean Senior Officials on Drug Matters (ASOD) for their efforts in adopting the ASOD Work Plan which would reinforce Asean's concerted efforts in realising the goal of a Drug-Free Asean by 2015.

They also expressed great appreciation for the work of SOMTC (Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime) Working Group on Counter Terrorism and unanimously endorsed the Asean Comprehensive Plan of Action on Counter Terrorism and called for the expeditious ratification of Asean Convention on Counter Terrorism by the remaining Asean member states.

They also exchanged views, and agreed to work towards the possible utilisation of newly-established Asean Plus Three Cooperation Fund for the "Study on the Effective Implementation of Asean Plus Three Work Plan to Combat Transnational Crime".

The ministers also tasked SOMTC + China to explore the most viable way in strategising the implementation of the new Asean-China Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Field of Non-traditional Security Issues and also for Asean SOMTC to work with China to undertake a mid-term review on the progress of implementation. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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