Credit : Datuk Seri Saifuddin's X
MANILA, October 22 – The 20th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime (AMMTC) has drawn to a close in Makati City, the Philippines, with security cooperation among ASEAN member states further strengthened, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said.
“Alhamdulillah, the 20th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime (AMMTC) held in Makati City, Philippines, has concluded,” Saifuddin said in a post shared on X on Thursday morning, under the heading “20th AMMTC draws the curtain, ASEAN security cooperation continues to be strengthened”.
The post was accompanied by photos, including a group photo of ASEAN delegates in front of the member states’ flags, and referred to a gala dinner held in conjunction with the closing of the AMMTC.
Three outcomes from Makati
Philippine Interior and Local Government Secretary Juanito Victor Remulla, who chaired the meeting, told a news briefing on Wednesday that the AMMTC had produced three significant outcomes, BusinessMirror reported on October 22.
According to Remulla, the meeting advanced the ASEAN Declaration to Protect Children against Sexual Abuse and Exploitation, including material created with artificial intelligence; took up the first ASEAN Region Trafficking in Persons Report, which gives the region an overview of its fight against human trafficking; and agreed to adopt a joint statement setting out the next steps on trafficking in persons, terrorism and cybercrime.
“In December 1997, ASEAN ministers met for the first time in Manila to discuss transnational crime. AMMTC has come home. All 11 ASEAN member states sat for consultations with Japan, China and the Republic of Korea,” Remulla said. He noted that much had changed since 1997, with online scams, trafficking, money laundering and drug trafficking now feeding one another and moving across borders. The Philippines is handing the AMMTC chairmanship to Singapore, which will host the 21st meeting.
A busy meeting for Malaysia
The 20th AMMTC and its related meetings ran from October 20 to 21, with online fraud and scam centres high on the agenda alongside human trafficking, money laundering, drug trafficking, arms smuggling and border security. Earlier, on October 19, senior officials adopted the Terms of Reference for the Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime (SOMTC) Working Group on Money Laundering.
On Tuesday, Saifuddin delivered Malaysia’s National Statement, urging ASEAN to turn its commitments against transnational crime into concrete action. He set out four national priorities: cybercrime and online fraud, money laundering, border control and people smuggling, and terrorism and extremism. “ASEAN’s success is not measured by the number of agreements reached, but by the criminal networks dismantled, the victims protected and the criminals brought to justice,” he said at the time.
On Wednesday, the minister led Malaysia’s delegation in four consultation sessions with dialogue partners: the 16th AMMTC Plus Three Consultation, the 13th AMMTC Plus China Consultation, which he co-chaired with China’s Assistant Minister of Public Security Lyu Wuqin, the 11th AMMTC Plus Japan Consultation and the 7th AMMTC Plus Republic of Korea Consultation.
On the sidelines, Saifuddin held a bilateral meeting with Brunei’s Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office (Security and Law), Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Sufian Haji Sabtu, where both sides agreed to deepen police and security information sharing. He also received a courtesy call from Tachikawa Koichi, Deputy Commissioner General of Japan’s National Police Agency, with both sides agreeing to expand information sharing and investigative cooperation against drug trafficking, cybercrime, online fraud and human trafficking.
Malaysia hosted the previous meeting, the 19th AMMTC, in Melaka in September 2025 during its ASEAN chairmanship. Ministers there adopted the ASEAN Plan of Action in Combating Transnational Crime 2026–2035 and the Melaka Declaration, which now serve as the long-term framework for regional efforts against cross-border crime. The Philippines is set to host the ASEAN Summit in Manila in November 2026.
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