The 13th ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime (SOMTC) opened today, June 18, in central Da Nang city, will focus on fighting terrorism and human trafficking. In addition to the four-day event’s plenary sessions, heads of delegations from ASEAN countries will hold meetings to discuss their experience and measures to prevent crime in member nations and boost the association’s cooperation in transnational crime prevention and control, said Deputy Head of the General Department of Crime Prevention and Control of the Ministry of Public Security, Lieutenant General Do Kim Tuyen. At these meetings, the delegations’ leaders will adopt mechanisms on cooperation and information exchange, and agree to mutual assistance in the struggle against cyber crime, corruption and money laundering. Meanwhile, measures and mechanisms to share information about the regional crime situation, programs to improve the countries’ anti-terrorism capacity, and cooperation orientations will be discussed at consultations and meetings between ASEAN members and their dialogue partners. The annual SOMTC, which is a preparatory event for the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime, is an opportunity for ASEAN countries and their partners to review their cooperation in the struggle against transnational crime and discuss prioritized areas of crime prevention. This year’s meeting was attended by 10 ASEAN member nations, the ASEAN Secretariat, and the association’s dialogue partners, including the US, the European Union, China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Russia, Australia, and New Zealand.