A tripartite meeting between Thailand, China and Myanmar will be held to deal with cross-border crime, according to Foreign Affairs Minister Maris Sangiampongsa.
Mr Maris said on Monday that Thailand would soon host the meeting to establish concrete and long-term strategies for combatting transborder crime, including scammers and call centre gangs.
He expressed confidence that the trilateral mechanism would strengthen cooperation among the three countries in resolving these problems.
The Thai government has consistently prioritised the fight against transnational crime, he said, prompting China to coordinate with Thailand under a security framework.
This collaboration includes sending representatives to help eliminate call centre gangs in neighbouring countries.
Mr Maris said Thailand remains open to full collaboration with all countries to address the issue under government supervision.
Mr Maris was speaking during his visit to Vietnam from Sunday till Tuesday. It is his first official visit to the country since taking the helm at the Foreign Affairs Ministry.
The foreign minister also reiterated Thailand’s efforts to deal with wider security issues through international dialogue, including the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) Foreign Ministers’ meeting in New Delhi, India, last July.
Thailand, Myanmar and India discussed cybersecurity and arms smuggling. India, with its strong capabilities, is expected to join Thailand in tackling these crimes, while Thailand will collaborate with Myanmar to assist human trafficking victims.
Further efforts were made during the Mekong-Lancang Cooperation (MLC) Foreign Ministers’ meeting held in Chiang Mai last August.
Thailand also pushed for stronger cross-border security and efforts against trafficking and online scams during the Six-Country Informal Consultation and the Extended Informal Consultation held in Bangkok on Dec 19 and 20 last year.
At the Asean Informal Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Langkawi, Malaysia, on Jan 19, Mr Maris also reiterated Thailand’s commitment to protecting its people from threats, particularly drug trafficking and online fraud.