(AseanAll)  — From October 19th to 21st, 2026, in Makati, Philippines, the Minister of the Interior of Timor-Leste, Francisco da Costa Guterres, participated in the 20th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime (AMMTC) and related meetings, which focused on addressing emerging threats and strengthening regional cooperation to prevent and combat transnational crime.

The meeting brought together officials from ASEAN Member States and was attended by the ASEAN Deputy Secretary-General for the ASEAN Political-Security Community, Dato’ Astanah Abdul Aziz. As part of the related meetings, consultations were also held with China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea on common challenges and ways to strengthen practical cooperation in this domain.

In his remarks, Minister Francisco da Costa Guterres outlined the measures Timor-Leste has adopted to prevent and combat transnational crime, with particular emphasis on cybercrime, digital and online fraud, money laundering, human trafficking, and cross-border crime.

In this context, the Minister referred to joint operations carried out by national authorities in recent months against illicit online activities, which resulted in the detention of hundreds of foreign nationals suspected of involvement in fraud and illegal gambling, as well as the seizure of digital equipment.

Francisco da Costa Guterres also highlighted the Government's approval of the National Integrated Plan to Prevent and Combat Transnational Digital Financial Fraud Networks, Supported by Illicit Online Scam Platforms, Organised Cybercrime, and Human Trafficking, for the period 2026–2031.

The Plan sets out an integrated approach to strengthen coordination among intelligence agencies, security forces and services, criminal investigation bodies, financial authorities, and border control agencies, and to enhance regional and international cooperation.

During the meeting, the Minister called for stronger cooperation among ASEAN Member States, particularly in consular coordination, digital and financial investigations, and information sharing on migration, given the cross-border nature of criminal networks.

Participation in this meeting forms part of Timor-Leste’s ongoing integration into ASEAN political and security cooperation mechanisms. The country previously attended the ministerial meeting on transnational crime, held in Malaysia in September 2025, in an observer capacity.

Among the principal outcomes of the 20th AMMTC was the adoption of ASEAN’s first Regional Report on Trafficking in Persons, marking the first ASEAN-led regional reporting mechanism on this issue, developed through consensus among Member States.

The meeting also approved the establishment of the ASEAN Immigration Training Centre (AITC) and the Forum of Heads of Consular Affairs Divisions as a new subsidiary mechanism under the Meeting of the ASEAN Directors-General of Immigration Departments and Heads of Consular Affairs Divisions of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs (DGICM).

Participants further reviewed recent and emerging trends in transnational crime and the progress in regional cooperation, including the outcomes of the 26th ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting on Transnational Crime (SOMTC) and the 29th DGICM meeting.

The 20th AMMTC concluded with the transfer of the mechanism's chairmanship from the Philippines to Singapore, which will assume the position in 2027.