Japan gives boost to cross-border management

THE Japanese government has forecast a budget of ¥220mil (RM8.3mil) in assistance to Laos in 2021 and 2022 to promote safe, regular and orderly migration in Laos.

This will be done by supporting the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) immigration and border management programme in the country.

An agreement on the assistance was signed in Vientiane by IOM chief of mission Shareen Tuladhar and Japanese Ambassador to Laos Takewaka Keizo.

The two-year funding support will target the safe and orderly cross-border movement of people through the implementation of effective and efficient border and migration management, using an integrated approach.

The funding from the government of Japan will address both technological and infrastructure needs to improve the Lao government’s human and technical capacities to effectively manage cross border movements at international airports and land borders.

Keizo expressed his gratitude for the collaboration between Japan, the International Organisation for Migration, and Public Security Ministry.

The Japanese government has been contributing to sustainable development in Laos at various levels, including supporting the formulation of the 9th National SocioEconomic Plan, and providing technical assistance to frontline officials at border checkpoints.

Tuladhar said the IOM is extremely grateful to the Japanese government and the Lao government for this collaboration.

She said the funding is very timely as the pandemic has put human mobility at the forefront of the Covid-19 response.

“It is vital for us to work towards strengthening border management in an effective and humane manner, ultimately protecting migrants in vulnerable situations and providing frontline officials with the necessary skills and infrastructure,” she said.

To support primary and secondary line border control procedures, the IOM-developed Verifier Travel Document and Bearer system will be provided.

This is a stand-alone system to help immigration and border control officers detect fraudulent travel documents and imposters.