MANILA, October 20 – Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam have agreed to deepen security cooperation, with a focus on sharing police and security information to tackle cross-border crime more effectively, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said.
Saifuddin said he 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, on the sidelines of the 20th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime (AMMTC) in Makati City, the Philippines, on Tuesday.
“The meeting gave us the opportunity to discuss efforts to strengthen security cooperation between Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam, particularly through the sharing of policing and security information to improve the effectiveness of joint action in tackling cross-border crime,” he said in a post shared on X late on Tuesday night, accompanied by photos of the meeting.
“With security threats becoming increasingly complex, close cooperation between neighbouring countries is vital to ensure that prevention and enforcement measures can be carried out more effectively,” the minister added.
“God willing, Malaysia will continue to strengthen its good relations and strategic cooperation with Brunei Darussalam for the safety of the people and the stability of the ASEAN region,” he said.
Building on a busy year of border cooperation
The ministerial talks follow a series of engagements between the two countries’ security agencies this year. In May, a Royal Brunei Police Force (RBPF) delegation led by Police Commissioner Dato Seri Pahlawan Sulaiman Alidin visited the Royal Malaysia Police from May 6 to 8, holding talks at Bukit Aman on cybercrime, online scams, commercial crime and transnational crime, and touring the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) in Cyberjaya, The Star reported.
On June 30, the Sarawak police contingent, led by Sarawak Police Commissioner Datuk Mohamad Zainal Abdullah, met RBPF leaders in Bandar Seri Begawan. According to Bernama, the two sides agreed to strengthen intelligence and information sharing, coordinate land and maritime security operations, improve search and rescue cooperation and streamline procedures for transferring detainees. The Brunei police chief also presented letters of appreciation to the Miri and Limbang district police chiefs for helping to arrest a fugitive from Brunei.
At the leaders’ level, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah agreed at the 27th Annual Leaders’ Consultation in Bandar Seri Begawan on August 22 to step up cooperation on cross-border security issues, including contraband smuggling, as well as search and rescue and emergency response. Their joint statement urged the Working Committee on Security Matters Related to the Brunei Darussalam-Malaysia Land Boundary to finalise draft guidelines on information sharing and the designation of contact points, the New Straits Times reported.
Regional push at the 20th AMMTC
The 20th AMMTC and its related meetings are being hosted by the Philippines, this year’s ASEAN chair, at the Fairmont Makati, with Interior and Local Government Secretary Juanito Victor Remulla chairing the ministerial meeting. Opening the meeting on Tuesday, Remulla said criminal networks were using digital technologies, encrypted communications and cross-border financial systems to expand their operations, and called for real-time intelligence sharing, joint operations and capacity building, BusinessMirror reported.
Earlier on Tuesday, Saifuddin delivered Malaysia’s National Statement at the meeting, urging ASEAN to turn its commitments against transnational crime into concrete action and outlining four national priorities: cybercrime and online fraud, money laundering, border control and people smuggling, and terrorism and extremism. He stressed that increasingly complex threats, many exploiting digital technology and artificial intelligence, could no longer be handled by any one country alone.
Brunei’s entire land border is shared with Sarawak, making day-to-day coordination between the two countries’ police and enforcement agencies central to curbing smuggling and other cross-border offences.
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