4-8-2023 (BANGKOK) High-ranking immigration officials from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are set to meet in Phuket to discuss transborder crimes in the region. The meeting, which will be attended by representatives from China, Japan, South Korea, and Australia, will be hosted by the Royal Thai Police (RTP) and the Immigration Bureau (IB) from August 7-11. The 26th ASEAN Directors-General of Immigration Departments and Heads of Consular Affairs Divisions of Ministries of Foreign Affairs Meeting (DGICM) will focus on the suppression of transnational crimes and threats against the national security of Thailand and its ASEAN counterparts.
The DGICM, which was initiated in 1996, is regularly attended by the 10 ASEAN member states and observed by Timor-Leste. This year, the IB and the RTP, on behalf of Thailand, will host the meeting so attendees can discuss immigration issues. The main target of the RTP is to address human trafficking, smuggling, terrorism, and cyber crimes. The DGICM will follow the United Nations’ low-carbon strategy, in which some of the equipment is made from sustainable and reusable materials.
Pol Lt Gen Pakphumpipat Sajjaphan, commissioner of the Immigration Bureau, said the main focus of the meeting is to improve cooperation among ASEAN members and its observers for intelligence. Delegates from 16 countries and members of the domestic and international media will be invited to attend the conference, its banquets, and tours of locations in Phuket.
