KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 10 2026 — Cooperation between governments and enforcement agencies must move faster and be stronger than transnational crime networks if countries are to deal with today’s security threats effectively, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said.
Criminals now operate across multiple jurisdictions through international networks, he said, making information sharing, operational coordination and joint action essential.
“Today, I delivered a speech at the 2026 Conference of the Global Public Security Cooperation Forum in Lianyungang, China, with a clear message, that in an increasingly interconnected world, no single nation can handle today’s security threats alone,” Saifuddin said in a Facebook post yesterday.
He cited a recent case involving the arrest of a Malaysian co-pilot at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on suspicion of smuggling various types of drugs estimated to be worth RM45 million.
The Indonesian National Police (POLRI) shared information on the case with the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM). After joint action and follow-up operations, six syndicate members were arrested in Malaysia, including four who had fled to Thailand and Vietnam.
“This is the reality of crime today. The syndicate moved across at least four countries, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam,” he said.
Saifuddin said security threats are increasingly complex, spanning violence, human trafficking, migrant smuggling, narcotics, cybercrime, online scams and money laundering. These crimes, he added, often run through the same cross-border networks, financial systems and digital infrastructure.
He said technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), encrypted communications and cryptocurrencies are also being exploited by criminals to conceal their identities and move illicit funds across jurisdictions.
“Crime knows no borders. Our response must not stop at national borders either,” he said.
Malaysia continues to strengthen cooperation with China under the Agreement on Cooperation in Preventing and Combating Transnational Crime signed in June 2024. The pact, he said, provides a foundation for joint action, including information sharing, operational coordination and investigations.
The urgency is clear, he added, with Malaysia investigating 141,107 online scam cases between 2024 and May 2026.
In narcotics enforcement, intelligence sharing with China helped facilitate two operations in August 2025 that led to the seizure of more than one tonne of fentanyl citrate in Malaysia.
Saifuddin said bilateral cooperation must also strengthen regional security, including through initiatives advanced when Malaysia served as ASEAN Chairman in 2025.
The Home Ministry led six major ASEAN meeting series involving about 600 delegates. Key outcomes included the ASEAN Plan of Action in Combating Transnational Crime 2026–2035, the Melaka Declaration on Combatting Transnational Crime, the ASEAN Declaration on Countering People Smuggling, the ASEAN Declaration on Combatting Cybercrime and Online Scams, and the ASEAN Border Management Cooperation Roadmap.
Malaysia, he said, will continue to be a constructive, reliable and results-oriented security partner with China, ASEAN member states, partners across Asia and the wider international community.
On technology, Saifuddin said advances must be used to build security institutions that are professional, accountable and trusted by the people, rather than pursued merely for sophistication.
“Because ultimately, when nations and enforcement agencies share information, build trust, and act together, the space for criminal syndicates to operate becomes smaller. When we cooperate, criminals lose,” he said.
Source: Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail’s Facebook page / Bernama
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