1. We, ASEAN Ministers overseeing issues of transnational crime, gathered on 11 Oct 2001 in Singapore, to renew our commitment to combat transnational crime affecting our region and to enhance co-operation towards this end.
2. We recognised the growing need for the region to deal with many more forms of transnational crime, including terrorism, illicit drug trafficking, arms smuggling, money laundering, sea piracy, cyber crime and trafficking in persons. In particular, we were concerned with the newly emerging trends of transnational crime, such as terrorism, international economic crime and cyber crime.
3. We acknowledged that transnational crime continues to seriously threaten the socioeconomic and moral fabric of all countries. We reiterated our deep concern that transnational crime is becoming more organised, diversified and pervasive, thus posing a serious threat to the peace, security and progress of ASEAN.
Report of the 22nd ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting On Drug Matters (on matters in relation to translation crime)
4. We welcomed the commitment of ASEAN Senior Officials on Drug Matters (ASOD) to strengthen the collective efforts of ASEAN in combating drug problems, working towards the vision for a Drug-Free ASEAN in 2015.
5. We welcomed the endorsement of the ASEAN and China Cooperative Operations in Response to Dangerous Drugs (ACCORD) Plan of Action by the International Congress in Pursuit of a Drug-Free ASEAN 2015, which was jointly organised by Thailand, the United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention and the ASEAN Secretariat on 11-13 October 2000 in Bangkok, Thailand.
Reports of the 4th and 5th Meetings of the ASEAN Directors-General of Immigration Departments and Heads of Consular Affairs Divisions of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs (on matters in relation to transnational crime)
6. We welcomed the adoption of the ASEAN Plan of Action on Immigration Matters at the 4th ASEAN Directors-General of Immigration Departments and Heads of Consular Affairs Division of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs (DGICM), to further enhance regional immigration and consular cooperation.
7. We noted the efforts made at the 5th ASEAN DGICM to implement region wide initiatives to facilitate economic cooperation, movement and travel within ASEAN and to combat transnational crime.
Report of the 7th ASEAN Senior Law Officials Meeting (on matters in relation to transnational crime)
8. We noted the initiatives of the ASEAN Senior Law Officials Meeting to promote greater co-operation in legal education and research, and other judicial arrangements within the ASEAN region.
Reports of the 20th and 21st ASEANAPOL Conference (on matters in relation to transnational crime)
9. We welcomed the efforts of the ASEAN National Chiefs of Police to forge greater co-operation among ASEAN police agencies to combat transnational crime.
Consideration and adoption of the Report of the Special Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime in Yangon, Myanmar (Oct 2000)
10. We adopted the Report of the Special Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime in Yangon, Myanmar (Oct 2000).
Consideration and adoption of the Report of the 1st Annual Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime in Bangkok, Thailand (Mar 2001)
11. We adopted the Report of the 1st Annual Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime in Bangkok, Thailand (Mar 2001).
Consideration and adoption of the Report of the Senior Officials Meeting for 3rd AMMTC
Progress report on Status of Implementation of ASEAN Plan of Action To Combat Transnational Crime
12. We considered the urgent need to finalise the draft Work Programme to Implement the ASEAN Plan of Action as a fundamental step towards realising ASEAN's efforts to combat transnational crime. We therefore supported the convening of an Ad-Hoc Experts Group Meeting before the 2nd Annual SOMTC towards this end.
Progress report on involvement of ASEAN Dialogue Partners
13. We recognised the need for ASEAN to continue to seek the assistance and expertise of Dialogue Partners and the relevant international and intergovernmental organisations and to further pursue areas of collaboration with them.
International Economic Crime Conference
14. We noted that the International Economic Crime Conference 2001 has achieved the desired outcome of forging a common awareness and understanding of the implications of economic crime. We agreed that economic crime would be included in the discussions on the Work Programme to Implement the ASEAN Plan of Action to Combat Transnational Crime by the Ad-Hoc Experts Group Meeting.
15. We welcomed the opportunity presented by the conference to serve as a platform for law enforcement agencies and individuals who have a common goal of eradicating economic crime, to develop useful networks and co-operative arrangements that would enhance the fight against transnational economic crimes.
Combating Cyber Crime
16. We noted with particular concern the increase in cyber crime in this region and its serious impact on the peace, security, prosperity and progress of ASEAN and on its social and moral fabric, which compounded the continuing effects of the regional and global economic crisis faced by our economies.
17. We affirmed our commitment to strengthen ASEAN collaboration and its regional capacity to effectively combat cyber crime as a unified entity in the spirit of ASEAN solidarity and co-operation. In our fight against cyber crime, we would work closely with our Dialogue Partners, United Nations and its specialised agencies, and the INTERPOL. We agreed that cyber crime would be included in the discussions of the Ad-Hoc Experts Group Meeting on the Work Programme to Implement the ASEAN Plan of Action to Combat Transnational Crime.
Terrorism
18 We strongly condemned all acts of terrorism, in particular the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 on the US, which led to the loss of innocent lives of people of various nationalities and destruction of properties. We are determined to combat threats to international peace, security and humanity caused by terrorist acts. We agreed to work closely with the international community to strengthen co-operation in preventing and combating terrorism. We are committed to enhancing co-operation among our law enforcement agencies to combat terrorism. We agreed that the AdHoc Experts Group Meeting on the Work Programme to implement the ASEAN Plan of Action to Combat Transnational Crime to be convened as early as possible, should have a particular focus on terrorism. In this connection, we agreed that a special session be convened, during the 2nd Annual Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime, to consider matters pertaining to terrorism in the report of the Ad-Hoc Experts Group Meeting. We also agreed that we will thereafter hold in Malaysia a special AMMTC on issues of terrorism.
Date and Venue of the 4th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime
19. We welcomed the kind offer of Thailand to host the 4th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime in 2003.
Acknowledgements
20. We expressed our deepest appreciation to the Government of Singapore for the warm and generous hospitality accorded to us and our respective delegations. We also expressed our sincere appreciation to the ASEAN Secretariat for its invaluable assistance.