PUTRAJAYA, 17 June 2026 (The Capital Post) – Malaysia has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening regional cooperation in combating transnational crime during the 26th ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime (SOMTC), held via teleconference today.
According to a Facebook post by Kementerian Dalam Negeri (KDN), the meeting was chaired by Philippines SOMTC Head and Undersecretary for Peace and Order at the Department of the Interior and Local Government, Nestor B. Sanares.
Delivering Malaysia’s national statement, the Home Ministry highlighted the country’s continued efforts to tackle cross-border crime through a comprehensive approach involving enforcement, inter-agency coordination, intelligence sharing, and regional and international collaboration.
Malaysia also shared its achievements in addressing drug trafficking, money laundering, cybercrime and online fraud, human trafficking, and migrant smuggling.
As the Voluntary Lead Shepherd for money laundering and human trafficking under SOMTC, Malaysia presented the outcomes of the First SOMTC Working Group Meeting on Money Laundering and the Second SOMTC Working Group Meeting on Smuggling of Migrants.
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The ministry said discussions included progress on finalising the relevant components of the SOMTC Work Programme 2026–2028 and the Terms of Reference for both working groups.
Malaysia also led the development of the SOMTC Work Programme 2026–2028, which will guide the implementation of the ASEAN Plan of Action in Combating Transnational Crime 2026–2035 to strengthen regional responses to increasingly complex and technology-driven criminal threats.
The Malaysian delegation was led by Home Ministry Deputy Secretary-General (Security) Datuk Abdul Halim Abdul Rahman and included officials from the Public Security and Order Division, the National Strategic Office to the Council for Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (NSO MAPO), the Royal Malaysia Police’s AMLA and ATIPSOM units, as well as Bank Negara Malaysia. – The Capital Post
