A multilateral training course on enforcement of laws at sea began in Vietnam’s northern Hai Phong City on Monday for officers from Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia and Vietnam – the four countries surrounding the Gulf of Thailand. The course, co-organized by the Vietnam Marine Police Department and the US Department of State, will last for two weeks until May 25, with the participation of 24 law enforcement officers from the four countries and representatives from the US Coast Guard and US Department of Justice. Trainees will be given lessons on safely boarding suspicious ships; detecting smuggling, human trafficking, and illegal fishing; and identifying illegal narcotics, wildlife and forestry products as well as contraband, said Colonel Ngo Ngoc Thu, deputy head of the Vietnam Marine Police Department. Trainees will also be taught skills and techniques in detecting and preventing criminal activities at sea, Thu said. The locations for the trainees to practice these skills are the territorial waters of the four countries.  The course is also aimed at setting up multilateral judicial mechanisms for prosecuting trans-national crimes at sea. The course is just one activity within the framework of the Gulf of Thailand Maritime Law Enforcement Initiative that was set up in 2010 with the support of the US Department of State. The Political Counsellor at the US Embassy in Hanoi, Mr. Mark Lambert, said at the opening ceremony that multilateral cooperation is critical to maintaining a peaceful and stable maritime environment for economic development in the region. The establishment of common coordination and fighting mechanisms will help consolidate the collective capacity of the four countries in preventing and coping with threats at sea and ensure maritime safety, peace and sustainability in the region, Lambert said. The Gulf of Thailand covers roughly 320,000 square kilometers. The boundary of the gulf is defined by the line from Cape Bai Bung in southern Vietnam to the city of Kota Baru on the Malaysian coast.