ASEANAPOL Highlights Regional Commitment Against Trafficking at ASEANPEOPLES@ASEAN2025 Roundtable



by muhammad anas | Jun 27, 2025


Kuala Lumpur, 24 May 2025 — The ASEANAPOL Secretariat actively participated in the ASEANPEOPLES@ASEAN2025 regional roundtable discussion titled “Drug and Human Trafficking and Substance Abuse”, held at Wisma MCA, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The event was organized by HAYAT, a Malaysia-based organization dedicated to criminal justice reform and drug policy, and took place on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit 2025.

 

Representing the ASEANAPOL Secretariat were Executive Director Police Colonel David Martinez Vinluan, Director for Police Services Police Senior Superintendent Huntal Tambunan, and Director for Plans and Programmes Police Senior Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Huu Ngoc. Their attendance underscored ASEANAPOL’s strong commitment to regional cooperation in addressing complex and interconnected transnational crimes.

 

The roundtable brought together civil society organizations, law enforcement agencies, and regional policymakers to examine the growing convergence between drug syndicates and human trafficking operations in Southeast Asia. The discussion served as a timely and important platform to review real-world case studies, share policy insights, and explore collaborative strategies for cross-border enforcement.

The event featured two key sessions:

 

1. Panel Discussion on Identifying the ASEAN Landscape in Combating Regional Drug Trafficking and Intersections with Human Trafficking – Participants assessed current trends and highlighted vulnerabilities exploited by criminal networks operating in multiple jurisdictions.

 

2. Countering the Drug Trade through Regional Cooperation and Recognition of Exploitation and Human Trafficking Involving Drug Couriers – This session emphasized the importance of human rights-based approaches, especially in recognizing and protecting victims who are coerced into drug-related offenses.

 

During the discussions, Executive Director Vinluan introduced ASEANAPOL as the regional policing body that coordinates joint law enforcement efforts among the ten ASEAN Member Countries. He emphasized ASEANAPOL’s pivotal role in fostering multilateral cooperation to counter transnational crime, including drug trafficking and human exploitation.

 

The event concluded with a shared commitment among participants to strengthen cross-sectoral and cross-border collaboration. The ASEANAPOL Secretariat reaffirmed its support for such inclusive dialogues, recognizing their value in building trust, strengthening partnerships, and enhancing the region's collective resilience against evolving criminal threats.