Border management technology advances in Cambodia and Vietnam

July 2, 2012
PIA


PHNOM PENH, Cambodia, July 2 -- Cambodia and Vietnam can now easily conduct real-time searches of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) global databases, using the organization’s global databases.

A press statement from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) said that the database currently contains 30 million entries from 150 countries including information on “Stolen Lost Travel Documents.”

ASEAN said the Interpol’s information technology (IT)-based information exchange system is proving results. Some listed criminals have been detected in the border area between Cambodia and Vietnam. Judicial procedures are now proceeding.

The European Union (EU) and the ASEAN has an, “enhanced exchange of information between Interpol National Central Bureaus (NCBs) in ASEAN capitals and the International Criminal Police (ICPO)-Interpol General Secretariat.” This will be done by extending Interpol capacity and improved regional cooperation. The project is funded by the EU and implemented by Interpol.

The project aims to enhance exchange of information between Interpol NCBs in pilot countries such as Cambodia and Vietnam and the ICPO-Interpol General Secretariat by extending Interpol capacity and to increase regional and international law enforcement cooperation and better support the national police forces, ASEAN said.

Through the project, 16 pilot remote sites in Cambodia and Vietnam are now connected to Interpol’s secure global communication system, known as “I-24/7.” The 16 sites comprise 12 border control points and two regional police offices.

As pilot countries of this project, Cambodia and Vietnam called for the expansion of Interpol’s information exchange system to include other countries of ASEAN.

The Central Department of Security of Cambodia hosted a ceremony last week to mark the successful conclusion of the project.

Deputy Commissioner General of the Cambodia National Police Pol. Lt. Gen. Sok Phal inaugurated the project. Representatives of the EU delegation to Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam, Interpol General Secretariat, heads of the Interpol National Central Bureaus (NCB) in Cambodia and Vietnam, the ASEAN Secretariat, and stakeholders also attended the ceremony, ASEAN said.

The Interpol-developed IT system was one of three components under the EU-ASEAN Migration and Border Management Program. The four-year program aims to support the development of an Integrated Border Management System (IBMS) in order to facilitate the legal movements of good and persons, and better combat transnational crime, illegal migration, and trafficking in human beings. It is the flag-ship regional program on border management in ASEAN with funding support from the EU. (ASEAN)PI