Cambodia will host the 22nd ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime (SOMTC) and related meetings for three days from July 19-21 via video conference.

A July 15 Ministry of Interior press release said that the 22nd SOMTC meeting was a forum for senior officials from ASEAN member states to discuss work programmes and review past action plans to set the direction of new initiatives.

They will exchange views and share updates on transnational crime trends in the region, especially in the 10 sectors under the framework of SOMTC cooperation.

The 10 sectors include arms smuggling, terrorism, money laundering, human smuggling, human trafficking, international economic crimes, technology crimes, drug trafficking and illegal wildlife and timber trafficking.

“Within the framework of the conference, the SOMTC-Cambodia working group will also chair the 19th ASEAN Plus Three Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime and the China-Japan-South Korea Dialogue,” the press release said.

Yong Kim Eng, president of the People’s Centre for Development and Peace, told The Post on July 17 that ASEAN must have in-depth discussions on transnational crime to ensure security in the region. Regardless of the country, these crimes spread from one to another and cause problems in every member of the bloc.

“We must cooperate to prevent these crimes from happening, and if they are happening, we must take action to bring the perpetrators to justice. If all of the member states work together closely, maybe the drug problem, the money laundering and the human trafficking will be reduced.

“As long as the ASEAN leaders have the political will to do the work, precise plans and actions which reflect that will should be developed,” he added.