Position Paper

Kelompok : Muhammad Khairul Fihir

Country : Republic Of Singapore

The Government of The Republic of Singapore

Transnational Crime And Terrorism

Transnational Crime and Terrorism in Southeast Asia is still an issue that was
addressed at the Ministerial Meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
on the 11th Transnational Crime (AMMTC) in Manila, Philippines from 18 to 20 September
2017.1
Singapore has been at the forefront of anti-terrorist activity in Southeast Asia. A terrorist
attack on the city-state could jeopardize its standing as the region’s financial and logistical
hub. Singaporean officials maintain that important port facilities and other major targets
remain vulnerable. Under its Internal Security Act, Singapore has arrested 37 Islamic
militants.2
AMMTC meeting on the main issue that addresses issues surrounding terrorism
regarding the attack on Maute extremists on May 23, 2017 related to the Islamic Nagara of
Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in the southern Philippines city of Marawi. The Manila Declaration
Tackles the Rise of Radicalization and Extremism of Violence ”which discusses a program of
deradicalization and improvement to tackle and fight extremism.
In the ASEAN Agreement also how to deal with the trafficking of women and children.
Not only that, transnational crime which is well-organized, namely the distribution of drugs,
illegal goods has occurred dramatically as released by the United Nations in July 2019, that
transnational crime in Southeast Asia is still very strong.
Weak law enforcement efforts in a number of Southeast Asian countries have enabled
organized crime groups to increase operations in locations where there is weak law
enforcement, especially border areas, according to a study from the Office of Drugs and Drug
Crimes (UNODC).
ASEAN's initial efforts in combating transnational crime were focused on drug abuse and
drug trafficking, the prevalent crime then, which affected the growth and vitality of ASEAN.
With globalization, technological advancement and greater mobility of people and resources
across national borders, transnational crime has become increasingly pervasive, diversified

1
https://ipdefenseforum.com/
2
https ://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/t/terrorism-in-
southeast-asia.html#f-singapore
and organized.
ASEAN’s efforts to address terrorism and transnational crime started even before the
September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.  ASEAN adopted the Declaration on
Transnational Crime in 1997 and an ASEAN Action Plan to Combat Transnational Crime in
1999 to implement the Declaration.  However, the attacks on the US in 2001 provided a
strong impetus for the region to come together to fight terrorism and related crimes through
cooperation at the multilateral, regional and bilateral levels. 3
Therefore, the Republic of Singapore proposes the things done by Singapore for those
adopted by ASEAN countries:
First, Reformed Homeland Security Apparatus and Counterterror Strategy. After 9/11,
Singapore created a new body within the Prime Minister’s office to centralize its revised
security architecture: the National Security Coordination Secretariat (NSCS) is responsible for
national security planning and the coordination of policy and intelligence. Then the ASEAN
country must create a security unit to deal with terrorist movements
Second. Increased Intelligence Sharing. Since 9/11, Singapore has increased
intelligence cooperation with regional countries and the United States. Singaporean
authorities have also shared information gathered from the detainees with U.S. officials,
providing detailed insights into JI and Al Qaeda’s structure, methods, and recruiting
strategies.
Third. Bilateral and Multilateral Cooperation. Singapore has demonstrated its
commitment to fighting terrorism through a number of multilateral and bilateral
agreements. It was a founding member of the U.S.-led Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), a
program that aims to interdict shipments of weapons of mass. Singapore also signed and
ratified the U.N. Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism and has
tightened its surveillance of financial records.

And we also face Transnational Crime, and Singapore offers several solutions to deal
with it:
First, (1) To strengthen further regional and international cooperation to prevent and
combat trafficking in persons and (2) To further enhance the work of the existing network of
law-enforcementagencies including the Heads of Specialist Units in order to effectively
address the issue of trafficking in persons
Second, Enhance cooperation and coordination in a comprehensive manner with
ASEAN’s Dialogue Partners and external parties to eradicate illicit drug production,
processing, trafficking and use in the ASEAN region.
Third, Enhancing the ASEAN common agenda for peace and prosperity, which
promotes
political, religion and social stability, inclusive political processes, sustainable growth which
provides opportunities for all and upholds dignity and social justice with an emphasis on

3
https://asean.org/?static_post=asean-efforts-to-combat-terrorism-by-spushpanathan
mutual respect, balance and moderation;
Fourth, Promote the approach of moderation and uphold the rule of law in the conduct of
relations among states, including in the peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with
universally recognized principles of international law;
Fifth, (1) To task our Ministers in charge of Transnational Crimes (AMMTC) to accelerate
the consideration of an ASEAN Convention on Trafficking in Persons and (2) Convene the
AMMTC on an annual basis for regular consultations due to the rapid progress and evolution
of transnational crime issues, including the emergence of new forms of transnational crimes.