Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Hadi Tjahjanto urged ASEAN to collaborate to stop human trafficking at the 28th ASEAN Political-Security Community Council Meeting (ApSC) in the Laotian capital, Vientiane, on Tuesday (10/08).
“ASEAN must follow up and pay special attention to the ASEAN Leaders’ Declarations on Combating Trafficking in Persons caused by the abuse of technology,” he said on behalf of the Indonesian delegates while highlighting the increase in human trafficking victims in the region of Southeast Asia, especially those forced to commit online frauds.
Hadi underscored that if human trafficking is not addressed seriously, the region may become the epicentre of scam instead of the epicentre of growth.
Although ASEAN has established legal enforcement agreements such as the ASEAN Mutual Legal Assistance, Hadi stressed that the ASEAN Extradition Treaty must be completed shortly to eradicate transnational crimes in the region comprehensively.
Furthermore, as the Person in Charge of the ASEAN Political-Security Community Pillar, Hadi expressed appreciation to ASEAN for implementing almost 100 percent of the ASEAN Community Blueprint 2025 while expressing hope that the ASEAN Vision 2045 can be completed soon to prepare the region for future challenges.
On that occasion, the Indonesian delegation also emphasized the need for all relevant parties to show restraint in the South China Sea to prevent escalating tensions that could lead to open conflicts.
The Indonesian delegation further pushed that the Code of Conduct on the South China Sea be finalized so it can serve as guidelines to maintain peace in the sea while highlighting the urgency to strengthen maritime security, including through the ASEAN Maritime Forum (AMF) and the Expanded AMF (EAMF).
For the record, after leading the Indonesian delegation for the 28th ASEAN Political-Security Community Council Meeting, Hadi will be a part of the Indonesian delegation for the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits led by Vice President K. H. Ma’ruf Amin.
This year, as it assumes the ASEAN Chairmanship, Laos hosts the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits and other related summits. There are 11 summits, including summits with ASEAN external partners, namely Canada, the People’s Republic of China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, India, the United States, and the United Nations. (PR of Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs/DNS) (DH/MMB)
