10th AMMTC concludes with adoption of Kuala Lumpur Declaration

The 10th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime (AMMTC) and its related meetings concluded today, with the adoption of the Kuala Lumpur Declaration in Combating Transnational Crime.

The declaration was signed by the ministers and heads of delegates from the 10 ASEAN countries, where Malaysia was represented by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is also Home Minister.

Among others, the ASEAN leaders through the declaration agreed AMMTC be convened on an annual basis, other than endorsing the illicit trafficking of wildlife and timber as well as people smuggling as the new areas of

transnational crimes.

The four-day AMMTC which began on Monday and officiated by Ahmad Zahid, the following day, had also touched on the issue of haze which affected the region, although the transboundary pollution was not directly related to the transnational crime.

Issues of sea piracy, human trafficking and the Islamic State (IS) were also touched by the ASEAN delegates during the AMMTC plenary session, 7th AMMTC+3 Consultation, the 4th AMMTC+China Consultation and the 2nd AMMTC + Japan Consultation, which were held consecutively.

The 10th AMMTC also saw few courtesy calls on the Malaysian DPM, including from the Japanese Minister of State, chairperson of The National Public Safety Commission, Eriko Yamatani; Vietnamese Public Security Minister Tran Dai Quang, Indonesian Manpower and Transmigration Minister Hanif Dhakiri.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Cooperation in Preventing and Combating Transnational Crime was also inked by Malaysia and Vietnam today.

The signing of the agreement was the first concluded by Malaysia with any ASEAN country.

The AMMTC would then be followed with a Special ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on the Rise of Radicalisation and Violent Extremism tomorrow which among others, will focus on issues relating to radicalism and extremism in the region.