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Strengthening Regional Cooperation: ASEANAPOL Partners with Freeland and EarthTeam to Combat Wildlife Trafficking

06 September 2024

calendar_today 06 September 2024
On September 4, 2024, during the Counter Transnational Organized Crime-Wildlife Trafficking (CTOC-WT) training in Nakhon Phanom, Thailand, ASEANAPOL Secretariat Executive Director David Martinez Vinluan joined Freeland's Steve Galster, Prerana Sethiya, and International Wildlife Trust’s Bruce Ohr for an online meeting with EarthTeam partners. The meeting focused on expanding multi-agency task forces at critical border hotspots in Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, and Vietnam, aimed at disrupting wildlife trafficking supply chains. These task forces will connect countries and regions to share intelligence and collaborate on dismantling some of the world’s most destructive wildlife trafficking networks.
The discus sion centered around the "TRIPOD-2" project, sponsored by the U.S. State Department, which has made notable progress in strengthening regional efforts to combat wildlife trafficking. The project seeks to establish sustainable, multi-agency approaches by integrating law enforcement officers, customs officials, and financial intelligence units. A significant addition to the task forces will be experts on emerging infectious diseases, reflecting the growing awareness of the connection between illegal wildlife trade and global health risks.
ASEANAPOL Executive Director David Martinez Vinluan highlighted ASEANAPOL's mission to promote regional cooperation in addressing transnational crime, including wildlife trafficking, human trafficking, terrorism, and cybercrime. The meeting concluded with a commitment to further collaboration between ASEANAPOL, Freeland, and IWT, marking a significant step in enhancing cross-border efforts to dismantle wildlife trafficking syndicates and reinforcing the importance of intelligence sharing and multi-agency coordination.
“Together We Keep This Region Safe"




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