"We will urge our ministers to speed up discussions of transnational crime including the ASEAN Convention on Human Trafficking," Indonesian President Yudhoyono said when closing the 18th ASEAN summit at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) here on Sunday.
ASEAN leaders saod that human trafficking and smuggling especially women and children have increased lately, he said.
In addition, ASEAN leaders said that the victims of human trafficking and smuggling are people with basic rights for protection in accordance with international law and a number of relevant international conventions.
President Yudhoyono also said the achievement in the Bali Process on People Smuggling, Trafficking in People and Related Transnational Crime forum can be used as a reference to eliminate all forms of human exploitation.
ASEAN agreed to strengthen cooperation in solving such issues, he cited, adding that the ASEAN leaders also paid attention to other more seriousforms of transnational crimes, namely terrorism and drug trafficking.
Relating to terrorism, the ASEAN leaders agreed to implement the ASEAN Convention on the fight against terrorism.
On drug trafficking, ASEAN agreed to cooperate in establishing a drug-free ASEAN community in 2015.
The 18th ASEAN summit was attended by Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Mu`izzaddin Waddaulah of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Laotian Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong, Malaysian Prime Minister Dato `Sri Mohd Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak, Myanmarese Prime Minister Thein Sein, Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III, Senior Minister of Singapore S. Jayakumar represented by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung. (*)
Editor: Kunto Wibisono
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