Masagos to attend ASEAN meeting on transnational crime

SINGAPORE - Senior Minister of State (SMS) for Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs, Mr Masagos Zulkifli will be attending the 9th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime and its related meetings in Vientiane, Lao People's Democratic Republic from September 16 to 19.

Together with officials from the Singapore Police Force, SMS Masagos will call on Lao Minister of Public Security Dr Thongbanh Seng A Phone and meet his ASEAN Ministerial counterparts. He will also call on Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Thongloun Sisoulith and Lao Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Bounkeut Sangsomsak to discuss bilateral matters of mutual interest.

The ASEAN Ministerial Meeting is a biennial meeting on Transnational Crime (AMMTC) sets policy directions to strengthen ASEAN's commitment and cooperation in combating transnational crime. It provides direction to the ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime (SOMTC).

The AMMTC is held to help ASEAN Ministers coordinate strategies and law enforcement efforts against criminal syndicates engaged in activities related to these crimes.

In a statement, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said that there is a real and immediate need for regional law enforcers to pool resources against cybercrime.

According to a global Norton 2012 Cybercrime Report, 18 adults become a victim of cybercrime every second of the day, resulting in more than one-and-a-half million cybercrime victims each day.

Singapore takes the lead for cybercrime within the AMMTC/SOMTC, and is working with other ASEAN member states towards the creation of a Cybercrime Working Group to serve as an ongoing platform for ASEAN member states to coordinate their approach in dealing with cybercrime.

ljessica@sph.com.sg