Vietnam supports Australia to combat people smuggling

(VNF) - From November 15th - 17th, the fourth law enforcement Joint Management Group (JMG) on People Smuggling meeting is taking place in Ho Chi Minh city, to foster regional cooperation and progress counter people smuggling efforts across Asia.

The meeting is being co-hosted by the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security and the Australian Federal Police.

Law enforcement officials from Australia, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, will discuss emerging trends in people smuggling activity.

The fourth meeting of the JMG will focus on the links between organised crime and people smuggling, and the effects of global displacement. The need for greater capacity building for law enforcement officers in source and transit countries to pursue offshore disruption of criminal syndicates will also be discussed.

Speaking at the opening of the Conference, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Public Security, Senior-Lieutenant General Pham Dung emphasized: “transnational organized crime and people smuggling syndicates have been established and are running people smuggling activities with many sophisticated and unpredictable modus operandi. This situation presents potential serious dangers and challenges to the public safety and socio-economic stability, etc. requiring the law enforcement agencies of countries cooperate, work closely and join hands to combat and prevent this problem.”

Along with each country providing an overview of its current efforts, presentations by INTERPOL, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and the International Organisation for Migration will also feature.

Key statement from Australian Consul General Karen Lanyon echoed the importance of deterring people smuggling to save lives. The JMG reinforces people smuggling is an organised crime that exploits the most vulnerable of people. The socio-economic impacts are felt by those exploited, as well as the source, transit, and destination countries.

AFP Commander of the Operation Sovereign Borders Disruption and Deterrence Task Group, Lesa Gale, recognised Vietnam’s efforts to support a regional approach to countering people smuggling.

“This multilateral crime forum is an excellent example of law enforcement collaboration, fostering regional cooperation to progress the holistic disruption of people smuggling and transnational crime across Asia,” Commander Gale said.

“We all wish to express our high appreciation to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and particularly the Ministry of Public Security for co-hosting this critically important event.”

The Joint Management Group (JMG) was established in 2014 as a regional law enforcement partnership dedicated to preventing the exploitation of vulnerable men, women and children by people smugglers.

The meeting supports the Australian Government’s anti-people smuggling strategic communication campaign to counter rumors and misinformation being marketed by criminal people smugglers.

The recent reinforcement of Australia’s on-water maritime assets, surveillance capabilities, and offshore deterrence efforts will ensure any people smuggling boat that attempts to travel to Australia in the future is detected and turned back. Settlement in Australia will never be an option for anyone attempting to travel to Australia illegally by boat.

Previous JMG meetings have been held in Sydney, Australia (2014); Bali, Indonesia (2015); and Colombo, Sri Lanka (2016)./.

( VNF )