ASEAN members should have extradition pact
ASEAN members should have extradition pact
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia urged other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) yesterday to adopt extradition agreements to help control trans-national crime in the region.
When opening the 15th ASEAN Police (ASEANAPOL) conference, Indonesian Armed Forces Chief Gen. Feisal Tanjung stressed that it was urgent for all six member countries to have the agreements.
"I wish to call the attention of ASEANAPOL members to the importance of making arrangements for immediate extradition agreements," Feisal said.
The agreements, he said, would be in line with the joint communique on the extradition and handing over of criminals and fugitives in last year's conference in Thailand.
So far, Indonesia has extradition agreements with Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and Australia.
ASEAN groups Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and Brunei.
The annual four-day conference has brought together ASEAN's police chiefs to discuss common policies and strategies to combat crime in one of the world's fastest growing regions.
Vietnam, which is scheduled to join ASEAN this year, has sent observers to the conference.
Meanwhile, Indonesian Police Chief Gen. Banurusman Astrosemitro said that extradition is not on the top of the agenda of this year's conference.
Issues related to extradition arrangements had been discussed in last year's gathering in the Thai city of Phuket last year, he said.
"Furthermore, extradition should be tackled with other ministries, such as the ministry of foreign affairs and the ministry of justice," he said.
High on the agenda are illicit drug trafficking, fraudulent travel documents, mutual assistance in criminal matters, commercial crime, product counterfeiting and piracy.
Piracy
Feisal said ASEAN should pay serious attention to organized crime in the region and exchange information to facilitate investigations.
"This exchange of information will be a great advantage to those combating smuggling and international white-collar crime," he added.
Indonesia also suggested that ASEANAPOL step up the fight against the piracy of intellectual property rights, ship piracy and phantom ship fraud.
According to Feisal, one of ASEANAPOL's biggest jobs is to ensure political, economic, cultural stability while securing economic growth in the region.
ASEANAPOL was established in 1980 in Manila, where the first conference was held a year later. (29/pan)