Vietnam, Brunei boost cooperation in combating crimes

ABO/NDO – The security forces of Vietnam and Brunei have agreed to bolster comprehensive collaboration, particularly in the fight against traditional and non-traditional crimes.

Vietnamese Minister of Public Security General To Lam (L) and Chairman of the National Security Committee of Brunei Major General Awang Halbi bin Mohd Yussof (Photo: bocongan.gov.vn)

The consensus was reached on February 14 during talks between visiting Minister of Public Security General To Lam and Chairman of the National Security Committee of Brunei Major General Awang Halbi bin Mohd Yussof, who is also Second Minister of Defence.

They believed that amidst the complicated situation of transnational crimes, terrorism, human trafficking, and high-tech crimes in the region, the two security forces should enhance information exchange on the artifice and affiliation of all crimes, especially terrorism, high-tech and drug crimes, as well as promote collaboration in the field of cyber security.

They explained close cooperation will contribute significantly to deepening the Vietnam-Brunei comprehensive partnership in the time ahead.

Laying stress on the sound cooperative relations between the two countries in the past time, the two ministers said the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security and competent forces in Brunei have fully cooperated at all levels, in a number of bilateral and multilateral mechanisms, as well as at regional and international forums on crime prevention.

They recalled bilateral cooperation at the ASEAN Chiefs of Police Conference (ASEANAPOL), coordination to prevent and settle transnational crimes, and mutual legal assistance in criminal matters.

Regarding multilateral cooperation, Minister Lam said both sides should support each other’s initiatives on crime prevention in the framework of ASEAN, help each other in tracking criminals, and enhance connectivity between the Greater Mekong Sub-region and the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) in crime prevention and extradition.

Lam is leading a high-ranking delegation from the Ministry of Public Security on a working visit to Brunei on February 13-15.

(Source: NDO)