In his opening remarks, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Securityof Laos General Vilay Lakhamphong emphasised that the conference is held in thecontext that transnational criminals are using modern technologies to commit crimesmore sophisticatedly, becoming a direct and indirect challenge and threat topolitical stability, socio-economic development as well as the lives of peoplein the region and the world.
He affirmed that preventing and fighting this form of crimeis an important, heavy and inevitable task, requiring joint efforts both at theregional and international levels.
The three-day conference is expected to discuss cooperationbetween police forces of ASEAN member states and dialogue partners and observers tohandle cross-border crimes like drug smuggling, terrorism, human trafficking,and smuggling of weapons and wild animals./.