The Customs and Excise Department of Hong Kong (C&ED) concluded the Regional Customs High-level Drug Enforcement Forum today (February 16).
The Forum, with the theme of "Coordination Cooperation Cohesion", is the first major international conference hosted by the C&ED following the full resumption to normalcy of society. More than 100 representatives mainly from 40 law enforcement agencies (LEAs) from the Mainland, Asia-Pacific countries and regions and overseas offices stationed in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as international organisations, including the World Customs Organization (WCO) and WCO Regional Intelligence Liaison Office for Asia and the Pacific, took part in the Forum today.
The Forum today was kicked off by keynote speeches delivered by the Principal Guests of Honour, the Vice-Minister of General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China, Mr Wang Lingjun; the Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC; and the Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung, followed by video-recorded remarks from the Secretary-General of the WCO, Dr Kunio Mikuriya, and the WCO Asia/Pacific Vice Chair, Mr Michael Outram.
During the Forum, a number of heads of LEAs gave presentations about combating transnational drugs activities. Representatives of the LEAs also attended roundtable discussions on the latest drug trafficking trends and anti-narcotics strategies, as well as bilateral meetings that foster co-operation and communication among different regions.
The Forum came to an end with concluding remarks delivered by the Commissioner of Customs and Excise, Ms Louise Ho. She remarked that the Forum had yielded fruitful results including consensus in four aspects. First, mutual trust and understanding were enhanced among regional LEAs, which agreed to continue to strengthen law enforcement collaboration and join hands to forge a more united and closer co-operative relationship. Second, since the drug trafficking trend is dynamic, LEAs in the region will establish a more comprehensive and real-time reporting mechanism to strengthen communication and information sharing. Third, the C&ED will continue to take the lead in co-operating with other LEAs and mount a large-scale drug enforcement joint operation this year. Lastly, for continuous development and strengthening capacity building, the C&ED will host an international anti-drug workshop this year to share law enforcement experience with other LEAs. Mainland and overseas experts will also be invited to share in the workshop.
Ends/Thursday, February 16, 2023
