Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Mahfud MD, who led the 26th meeting of the ASEAN Political Security Community (APSC) Board, made the statement in Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara, on Tuesday.
The event was part of the 42nd ASEAN Summit.
"I want to draw our attention to the transnational crimes that take place in our region, ranging from terrorism, narcotics, to money laundering, as well as human trafficking," the minister remarked at the opening of the meeting.
He noted that the threat of transnational crimes had put the development of ASEAN people at risk. Moreover, it compromises peace, stability, and prosperity of the region, he added.
"We have no choice other than ensuring that ASEAN has the appropriate capability to address those many issues effectively," the minister stated.
In its 2023 ASEAN Chairmanship, Indonesia demonstrated its utmost commitment to tackling the problem, he noted.
The minister underscored one of the efforts that reflects such commitment, which is President Joko Widodo's plan to adopt the Declaration on Eradication of Human Trafficking Due to Technology Abuse.
Indonesia also pushed for progress in the ASEAN Extradition Agreement, which has been left pending for too long, he noted.
The minister reminded that ASEAN is constantly faced with a barrage of crises, which test its strength as a community. It had to weather the contest for power by superpower countries, which put its region's unity at risk, he pointed out.
"At the same time, we also have to handle the food crises, energy crises, and global economic slowdown," the minister added.
On Monday, May 8, President Joko Widodo stated that at the event, Indonesia will discuss the human trafficking problem, particularly those related to online scams.
"This is important, and I deliberately suggested it to be discussed because the victims are ASEAN people, and a huge number of them are our Indonesian citizens," the head of state remarked.
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Translator: Gilang Galiartha, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Tia Mutiasari
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