NEWS - ASEAN Meets in Myanmar on Tr

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Subject: NEWS - ASEAN Meets in Myanmar on Transnational Crime

ASEAN Meets in Myanmar on Transnational Crime

               Reuters
               21-JUN-99

               YANGON, June 21 (Reuters) - Senior officials of the
               Association of Southeast Asian Nations met in the Myanmar
               capital on Monday to discuss transnational crime,
including
               drug trafficking, arms smuggling and money laundering. 

               The gathering of senior officials precedes a meeting of
home
               ministers of the 10-member bloc due to take place on
               Wednesday. 

               In an opening address, Myanmar Home Minister Col Tin
               Hlaing said the meeting would consider establishing an
               ASEAN Centre on Transnational Crime, an institutional
               framework to cooperate against such crimes. 

               He said it would consider entrusting the ministerial
meeting
               with a supervisory and consultative role in dealings with
               ASEAN institutions on the issue. 

               Tin Hlaing said the meeting would address how best
               member countries could collaborate against terrorism,
drug
               trafficking, arms smuggling, money laundering,
trafficking in
               persons and piracy. 

               He said there was a crucial need for ASEAN members to
               work together to combat the fast-growing problem of
               trafficking in people. 

               The ministerial meeting follows an inaugural meeting of
the
               forum in Manila in December 1997. 

               It will be the second ASEAN ministerial meeting
military-ruled
               Myanmar has hosted this year and since it joined the
               regional bloc in July 1997. 

               It hosted the 13th ASEAN Labour Ministers' meeting in
May,
               provoking a storm of criticism from human rights
activists
               who say it makes use of forced labour. 

               Last week, the International Labour Organisation
virtually
               expelled Myanmar, banning it from receiving aid or
attending
               meetings until it halts the practice. Myanmar says the
               charges against it are politically motivated. 


               Myanmar is a major link in the chain of transnational
crime,
               in particular as one of the world's main sources of
heroin. 

               It is accused by the United States and others of failing
to do
               enough to stamp out drug trafficking and money
laundering. 

               ASEAN groups Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia,
               Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Brunei and
               Indonesia.