Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Public Security To Lam attended theEmergency ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime relating tothe irregular movement of persons in Southeast Asia held in KualaLumpur, Malaysia on July 2.

Chaired byMalaysian Minister of Home Affairs Ahmad Bin Hamidi, the meeting offereda venue for ASEAN member countries to discuss irregular migrations aswell as the linkage between criminals relating to human trafficking andmigrant smuggling.

It also sought feasible measures for the countries to address the issue.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister Lam said the irregularmigration situation is worsening and is at risk of becoming ahumanitarian crisis, negatively affecting the region’s politicalstability and the formation of the ASEAN Community by the end of 2015.

Vietnam expressed its hope for a timely and thorough solution to avoid generating tension among nations, he said.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security pledges to coordinate withother countries’ law enforcement agencies in handling irregularmigrations in the region in line with international and national lawswhile combating criminals relating to human trafficking and migrantsmuggling, Lam added.

Chair of the meeting,Ahmad Bin Hamidi, concluded the meeting by presenting a statement inwhich ASEAN members agreed to intensify law enforcement efforts tocombat human trafficking and migrant smuggling.

The agreement also emphasised the need to strengthen cooperation withASEAN dialogue partners as well as international organisations in thisfield as well as backed the establishment of a humanitarian fund in abid to address the problem.-VNA