On 18 April 2025, His Excellency Keo Vannthan, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Interior, Kingdom of Cambodia, paid a courtesy visit to the ASEANAPOL Secretariat in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He was accompanied by Police Brigadier General Mr. Ath Sokbovin, Deputy Director of the Department of Investigation and Law Enforcement, and Police Lieutenant Colonel Mrs. Chin Sovandy, Deputy Director of the Department of Immigration Information Technology. The delegation was warmly received by Police Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Huu Ngoc, Director for Plans and Programs, Senior Superintendent Huntal Tambunan, Director for Police Services, and other officials of the ASEANAPOL Secretariat under the supervision of Executive Director David Martinez Vinluan.
The Director for Police Services commenced the meeting with an introduction to the ASEANAPOL Secretariat, emphasizing its central role in fostering police cooperation among the ten ASEANAPOL Member Countries—namely, the Royal Brunei Police Force, Cambodian National Police, Indonesian National Police, Lao Police Force, Royal Malaysia Police, Myanmar Police Force, Philippine National Police, Singapore Police Force, Royal Thai Police, and the Office of Investigation Police Agency of Vietnam. He underscored ASEANAPOL’s mission to enhance unity, professionalism, and shared responsibility in tackling transnational crime, and its vision of contributing to a safe, secure, and peaceful ASEAN community. Current strategic initiatives were also highlighted, including efforts to combat illicit drug trafficking, human trafficking, cybercrime, terrorism, environmental crimes, and emerging digital threats—stressing the importance of capacity-building, timely information exchange, and collective action among Member Countries.
H.E. Keo Vannthan shared an overview of the Cambodian National Police’s notable achievements and outcomes in 2024, particularly in combating transnational crimes. He underscored that trafficking in persons remains one of the most serious crimes affecting Cambodia. He also outlined the Kingdom’s comprehensive approach to addressing such crimes, which includes prevention and awareness campaigns, along with strong reporting and response mechanisms.
The visit signified a meaningful step forward in enhancing cooperation between national and regional law enforcement agencies. It served as an excellent opportunity to reaffirm the enduring and productive partnership between the Ministry of Interior, Kingdom of Cambodia, and the ASEANAPOL Secretariat—strengthening alignment in the collective effort to combat transnational crime and uphold regional security.