QUEZON CITY, (PIA) --Key officials of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) met with immigration and consular heads of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) last August 7 to 11 in Thailand.
The meeting, dubbed as the ASEAN Directors-General of Immigration Departments and Heads of Consular Affairs Divisions of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs (DGICM), is a regular gathering of heads of immigration and consular agencies in the ASEAN region, and the ASEAN secretariat to discuss and coordinate regional cooperation towards the achievement of ASEAN community-building goals.
According to BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco, the forum serves as an opportunity to discuss regional cooperation, which is crucial in combatting challenges including cross-border trafficking.
“This important annual forum allows us to discuss best practices in the ASEAN region that we can benchmark in our efforts to improve our services,” said Tansingco.
This year’s activity is the 26th in the series of annual meetings, and was chaired by Police Lieutenant General Phakphumphiphat Sujjapan, Commissioner of Immigration Bureau, Royal Thai Police.
The 26th DGICM and its related meetings were conducted under the theme of “Building Security, Fostering Collaboration and Sustaining the Future”.
The series of meetings included the 6th ASEAN Heads of Major Immigration Checkpoints Forum (AMICF), the 2nd Meeting of Heads of Specialist Unit (HSU) on People Smuggling, and the 18th ASEAN Immigration Intelligence Forum (AIIF).
Matters discussed were the ASEAN member states’ commitment to continue strengthening border security, and enhance regional cooperation on immigration matters, as well as intelligence data sharing protocols. Also discussed were regional trends and challenges on people smuggling in the region, and efforts of ASEAN member states to address the crime.
This was followed by the 18th DGICM + Australia Consultation and the 2nd DGICM consultation with People’s Republic of China, Japan, and Republic of Korea (DGICM + 3).
Apart from the BI, representatives from the Department of Foreign Affairs also graced the event. (BI/PIA-NCR)
