On January 22, 2025, ASEANAPOL Secretariat Executive Director, Police Colonel David Martinez Vinluan, participated in the Regional Support Office (RSO) of the Bali Process webinar titled "Sailing Season Has Begun – What’s Next?"
The webinar aimed to provide law enforcement personnel from Bali Process Member States with timely and in-depth insights into the
ongoing trends and emerging challenges associated with the current sailing season. Annually, as the sailing season commences, there is a notable increase in irregular maritime movements across the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal towards Southeast Asian countries. The term "sailing season" refers to the period following the monsoon season, when calmer seas facilitate sea voyages, leading to a surge in such movements.
During the webinar, Executive Director Vinluan delivered a presentation on "Information Sharing", emphasizing its crucial role in combating people smuggling. He highlighted effective practices for gathering, sharing, and utilizing intelligence to enhance detection and response efforts against people smuggling networks. This aligns with ASEANAPOL's commitment to fostering regional law enforcement collaboration through continuous dialogues and strategic consultations.
The Bali Process, established in 2002, serves as a forum for policy dialogue, information sharing, and practical cooperation to help the region address challenges related to people smuggling, trafficking in persons, and related transnational crime. The RSO, based in Bangkok, operationalizes the Regional Cooperation Framework by facilitating information sharing, capacity building, and the exchange of best practices among member states.
ASEANAPOL's participation in such initiatives underscores its dedication to enhancing regional cooperation and information sharing mechanisms to effectively combat transnational crimes, including people smuggling and human trafficking. This collaborative approach is vital in addressing the complexities of irregular maritime movements during the sailing season and beyond.
"Together We Keep This Region Safe"
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