Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) vowed to join efforts to combat transnational crime and the rising threat of online scams.
On January 19th, 2025, the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat (AMM Retreat) was convened in Langkawi, Malaysia, marking the first significant meeting under Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship for 2025.
During the meeting, foreign ministers from ASEAN’s 10 member states engaged in in-depth discussions regarding priorities for 2025, following up on the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits and Related Summits.
According to a statement issued after the retreat’s end, a significant portion of the discussions centered on combating transnational crime.
The ministers reaffirmed their collective resolve to tackle issues such as people smuggling, trafficking in persons, drug trafficking, cybercrime, money laundering, and the rising threat of online scams.
The inaugural meeting of the ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting on Transnational Crime (SOMTC) Working Group on People Smuggling was welcomed, along with a proposal to establish a Working Group on Money Laundering, both aimed at enhancing regional capacity and coordination to improve security.
The retreat also underscored the necessity of intensifying regional cooperation to effectively combat cyber threats.
Last Thursday, during Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s meeting with diplomatic envoys from 10 ASEAN countries in Beijing, Wang said China stands ready to work with ASEAN countries to crack down on cross-border online gambling and telecom fraud.
Recently, several cases of online gambling and telecom fraud along the Thailand-Myanmar border have made international headlines, with the top Chinese official considering such activities have threatened and harmed the vital interests of citizens of China and other countries.
Crime syndicates in SEZs, especially the notorious Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone – where Laos, Myanmar and Thailand meet at the Mekong and Ruak rivers, have reportedly been involved in illegal activities like narcotics, wildlife smuggling and cyber scam operations.
According to the State of Southeast Asia 2024 Survey Report, the rise of global scam operations is the third-most concerning geopolitical trend for regional respondents
‘As ASEAN continues its digital transformation, the establishment of the ASEAN Regional Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) in Singapore, with Malaysia serving as the first regional coordinator,’ the meeting statement highlighted.
Backed by $10 million committed by Singapore over the next decade, the ASEAN Regional CERT aims to develop partnerships with industry and academia, conduct cyber exercises, and exchange information to remain updated on cyber threats.
The ministers reaffirmed their commitment to advancing CERT-related information sharing and capacity building to enable quick exchanges of information among member states and collaborative efforts to address common threats.