ASEANAPOL Strengthens Role as Regional Hub Through Engagement with Canada Border Services Agency

ASEANAPOL Strengthens Role as Regional Hub Through Engagement with Canada Border Services Agency

On 13 February 2026, the ASEANAPOL Secretariat reaffirmed its role as a regional hub for law-enforcement cooperation in Southeast Asia during a courtesy visit by the Regional Director of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), Mr. Joshua Newby, at the ASEANAPOL Secretariat headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Mr. Newby was accompanied by Mr. Mark Forde, Liaison Officer of the High Commission of Canada in Malaysia.

The delegation was received by the Executive Director of ASEANAPOL Secretariat, Police Senior Colonel Dr. Kongkrissada Kittithiraphong, together with the Director for Police Services, Police Senior Superintendent Huntal Tambunan. The engagement underscored ASEANAPOL’s central coordinating role in connecting ASEAN Member Countries with trusted international partners to address transnational crime and border security challenges.

Discussions focused on evolving regional and global security threats, including transnational organised crime, trafficking in persons, drug smuggling, cyber-enabled crime, and illicit trade. ASEANAPOL highlighted its function as a platform for collective action, enabling intelligence exchange, operational coordination, and capacity development across ASEAN law-enforcement agencies.

CBSA shared insights into Canada’s intelligence-led border management approach and international cooperation initiatives, while both sides explored practical avenues for collaboration through information and intelligence sharing, specialised training and capacity-building programmes, technical exchanges, and coordinated responses to transnational criminal networks.

The meeting reaffirmed ASEANAPOL’s commitment to serving as a trusted regional nexus for law-enforcement cooperation, strengthening partnerships with Dialogue Partners and international agencies such as CBSA, and translating strategic collaboration into tangible operational outcomes for the safety and security of the ASEAN region and beyond.