Cambodia, Vietnam collaborate against transnational crime
CAMBODIA and Vietnam are committed to robust collaboration, particularly in combating drugs and transnational crime.
The pledge came during a meeting between Prime Minister Hun Manet and Vietnam’s Minister of Public Security To Lam at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh on January 24.
The focus lies on human resource development and exchanging trainees in national security.
Manet noted the importance of enhancing cooperation through training and the exchange of trainees, while Lam reiterated Vietnam’s commitment to bolstering ties across various sectors, encompassing political, economic and trade realms bilaterally and multilaterally.
“Vietnam is set to bolster collaboration with Cambodia in national security, combating transnational crime and addressing various criminal activities. The focus extends to enhancing digital cooperation between Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security and Cambodia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. This involves sharing information and exchanging experiences in cybersecurity. Notably, Vietnam maintains this approach with Singapore and Malaysia as well,” he said.
Manet commended the comprehensive collaboration between Cambodia and Vietnam, particularly the synergy between their ministries in addressing cross-border crime, drugs and other offences.
The prime minister also extended his appreciation for the broader digital cooperation, where Vietnam shared its expertise with the interior ministry.
Am Sam Ath, operations director at rights group LICADHO, said that narcotics trafficking remains a concern in Cambodia, despite previous crackdowns.
“Despite anticipating a decrease in drug incidents due to numerous crackdowns, there remains a need for enhanced cooperation among neighbouring countries like Vietnam, Thailand and Laos to effectively prevent both drug trafficking and transnational crime,” he said.
On January 23, Lam and then-Minister of Interior Sar Kheng signed a 2024 cooperation agreement, aiming to actively and robustly continue implementing law enforcement cooperation mechanisms.