ASEAN Ministers Meet on Irregular Movement of Persons
on Thursday, 02 July 2015. Posted in 2015, ASEAN Secretariat News
KUALA LUMPUR, 2 July 2015 – ASEAN Ministers responsible for combating transnational crime met in Kuala Lumpur today to discuss concerted regional action to address the recent influx of irregular movement of persons in Southeast Asia.

The Emergency ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime discussed feasible regional solutions to deal collectively with this issue and to explore the possibility of setting up a Task Force to respond to similar crisis in the future. The Ministers also supported the establishment of a trust fund for humanitarian and relief efforts related to the irregular movement of persons in Southeast Asia.

In noting the link between irregular movement of persons and the crime of trafficking in persons and people smuggling, the Ministers resolved to strengthen law enforcement efforts through information and intelligence sharing. Other measures to address this issue include conducting analysis and studies, developing regional communication campaigns and strengthening cooperation with ASEAN Dialogue Partners and international organisations.

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EMERGENCY ASEAN MINISTERIAL MEETING ON TRANSNATIONAL CRIME CONCERNING IRREGULAR MOVEMENT OF PERSONS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA
CHAIRMAN’S STATEMENT – ADOPTED 2 JULY 2015
[Excerpt]
1. ASEAN Ministers overseeing the responsibilities of combating transnational crime and Representatives from Brunei Darussalam, Kingdom of Cambodia, the Republic of Indonesia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, the Republic of the Philippines, the Republic of Singapore, the Kingdom of Thailand, and the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam met in Kuala Lumpur on 2 July 2015 for the convening of the Emergency ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime (EAMMTC) concerning Irregular Movement of Persons in Southeast Asia. The Meeting was also attended by the Secretary General of ASEAN and Brunei Darussalam as the current Chairman of the Directors General of Immigration Departments and Heads of Consular Affairs Divisions of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs (DGICM)…

3. The Meeting discussed on three (3) main issues mainly*(i)*the Scenario on the Irregular Movement of Persons in Southeast Asia (by land and sea), (ii) the Connection
between Irregular Movement of Persons with Human Trafficking and People Smuggling and (iii) Plan of Action / Way Forward to resolve these issues…

6. The Meeting have resolved to:
(i) Task SOMTC to consider including people smuggling as one of the transnational crimes under the purview of SOMTC and AMMTC and to work in tandem with the DGICM on this issue.

Look forward to the current discussion in the DGICM on irregular movement of persons including the possibility of establishing a Special Task Force or Heads of Specialist Unit on this issue;

(ii) Strengthen law enforcement efforts to combating trafficking in persons and people smuggling as well as other forms of transnational crime at the national and regional level, among others, through the sharing of information and intelligence sharing and, where appropriate, the establishment of a special investigative taskforce;

(iii) Utilise the Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters to ensure that ASEAN Member States are well-equipped to prosecute perpetrators of the heinous crimes of trafficking in persons and people smuggling, and bringing such perpetrators to justice through due process;

(iv) Conduct analysis and studies on the irregular movement of persons in the Southeast Asia and its connection with trafficking in persons and people smuggling as well as other forms of transnational crime with a view to assist ASEAN Member States in their efforts to address the long-term impact of this issue;

(v) Develop and implement together with relevant ASEAN sectoral bodies comprehensive regional communication campaigns to send a strong message to the community to prevent irregular migration that is closely linked to trafficking in persons and people smuggling;

(vi) Strengthen cooperation with ASEAN Dialogue Partners and related International Organisations in combating trafficking in persons and people smuggling, including through law enforcement cooperation, sharing of information and expertise, exchange of intelligence and capacity building;

(vii) Support the establishment of a trust fund to be administered by the ASEAN Secretariat for voluntary contributions from ASEAN Member States and members of the international community to support the humanitarian and relief efforts involved in dealing with challenges resulting from irregular movement of persons in Southeast Asia;

(viii) Recommend the ASEAN Leaders to task relevant ASEAN bodies to explore the possibility of setting up a Task Force to respond to crisis and emergency situation arising from irregular movement of persons in Southeast Asia, and

(ix) Look forward to the early adoption of the ASEAN Convention against Trafficking in Persons especially Women and Children (ACTIP) and the ASEAN Plan of Action against Trafficking in Persons especially Women and Children (APA) at the 10th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime (AMMTC) in September 2015 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia…