ASEAN Police Forces Link-up for 
Tougher Stance vs. Drugs, Terrorism
June 08, 2002

Narcotics trafficking remain to be a top concern for national police agencies in the Southeast Asian region.

This was the overall assessment of PNP Chief, Director General Leandro R Mendoza following a fruitful meeting with police counterparts from nine other countries during the 22nd ASEAN Chiefs of Police Conference (Aseanapol) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia recently.

Mendoza said the prevailing drug situation in the whole ASEAN region has prompted the Aseanapol to adopt a resolution encouraging the conduct of joint coordinated operations among member-agencies within territorial borders to aggressively suppress drug trafficking.

The Aseanapol is also seeking assistance and cooperation from the UN International Drug Control Program to develop capacity and infrastructure to combat drugs.

A Joint Communique issued by delegates from the 10 Aseanapol-member agencies to ensure the speedy flow of corresponding and inquiries on drug control matters.

During the conference in Cambodia, the Aseanapol also laid the groundwork for better cooperation against terrorism in support of the Joint Communique issued during the special ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Terrorism held last month in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The Aseanapol is eyeing the possibility of conducting joint training programs to enhance counter-terrorism capabilities of the respective national police forces.

The projected cross-training program will focus on post-blast investigation, explosives and bomb detection, airport and passport security, bio-terrorism, and intelligence analysis.

Participating countries during the 22nd Aseanapol Conference were: Brunei Darrussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

The Aseanapol was establish to foster better cooperation and understanding among national police agencies in the Southeast Asian region, particularly against transnational crime.

The Philippine National Police will host the 23rd Aseanapol Conference in Manila next year.