ASEANAPOL Logo

ASEANAPOL Participation in the RSO Border Forum 2024

01 February 2025

calendar_today 01 February 2025
On 28–29 January 2024, ASEANAPOL Secretariat Executive Director David Martinez Vinluan and Director for Plans and Programs, Senior Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Huu Ngoc, participated in the RSO Border Forum 2024 in Bangkok, Thailand. The forum, themed "Border Management Priorities and Challenges: A Routes-based Approach," served as a significant platform for knowledge exchange, strengthening cooperation, and addressing critical issues related to transnational crime and irregular migration. The event gathered senior government officials, law enforcement personnel, and representatives from international organizations to discuss strategies on border management, combating people smuggling, and trafficking in persons. The participation of ASEANAPOL Member Country representatives and ASEANAPOL Secretariat reinforced its commitment to regional security, intelligence-sharing, and operational collaboration in addressing evolving transnational threats.
The Regional Support Office (RSO) of the Bali Process, established in 2012, plays a crucial role in assisting Member States through technical expertise, policy guidance, and operational best practices in combating people smuggling, trafficking in persons, and related transnational crimes. As the only cooperation mechanism of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region, the RSO serves as a repository of knowledge, facilitating capacity-building initiatives, information-sharing, and coordinated responses among regional partners and law enforcement agencies. Its efforts have been instrumental in bridging policy gaps, enhancing law enforcement capabilities, and countering organized criminal syndicates that exploit migration vulnerabilities across borders.
The RSO Border Forum 2024 focused on strengthening regional responses to transnational crime through enhanced intelligence-sharing, border security frameworks, and inter-agency law enforcement collaboration. Discussions addressed emerging threats, shifting migration trends, and evolving smuggling routes, underscoring the need for technology-driven solutions, legal reforms, and cross-jurisdictional strategies to dismantle transnational criminal networks. Given the increasing sophistication of organized crime groups, the forum highlighted the importance of holistic and cooperative approaches to ensuring the safe, legal, and orderly movement of people across the region. The event also aligned with the Bali Process Adelaide Strategy for Cooperation, prioritizing border security, victim protection, and comprehensive migration governance.
A key highlight of the forum was Session 3A: Collaborative Strategies for Investigating and Dismantling Criminal Networks, where Senior Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Huu Ngoc represented ASEANAPOL Secretariat as a panel speaker. This session emphasized cross-jurisdictional cooperation in tackling people smuggling and trafficking in persons, directly aligning with ASEANAPOL’s 10 Core Transnational Crime focus areas, as agreed upon by the 10 Chiefs of ASEANAPOL. ASEANAPOL reaffirmed its commitment to regional security cooperation, sharing its action plans and strategies with approximately 110 participants from ASEAN, Asia-Pacific, INTERPOL, IOM, and other key stakeholders. Moving forward, ASEANAPOL remains dedicated to enhancing cross-border collaboration, intelligence-sharing, and capacity-building efforts to effectively combat human trafficking and other transnational crimes in the region.
"Together We Keep This Region Safe"










arrow_back Back to News