MFA Press Release: Statement by Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Mr Zainul Abidin Rasheed at the 4th Bali Regional Ministerial Conference on People Smuggling, Trafficking In Persons And Related Transnational Crime, 30 March 2011

Co-Chairman Pak Marty,
Your Excellencies,
Distinguished delegates,

It is good to be back here in Bali attending the Bali Process to deal with the troubling issues of people smuggling and trafficking in persons. Singapore supports the Bali Process, which has been a useful catalyst for action among its members. We appreciate the efforts by the co-Chairs, Indonesia and Australia, to bring together States from within and outside this region, to promote cooperation and understanding in dealing with the serious issues of people smuggling and trafficking in persons.

Singapore has actively participated in the Bali Process activities. One of our most recent involvements is the hosting of a Workshop on Immigration Aspects of Seaport Security mid-last year in Singapore, on which we presented the outcomes at the Bali Process Senior Officials' Meeting earlier this month. This was attended by 45 participants from 19 countries and focused on capacity-building and core competencies. We find such activities useful opportunities for enforcement agencies to network amongst themselves and exchange information on various topics.

The Bali Process has worked well largely because it is a voluntary, non-binding, member-driven process, that is oriented towards operational cooperation. The Regional Cooperation Framework that we are discussing today is an example of such non-binding proposals that interested States, which find it useful, can opt to participate in.

Besides the Bali Process, Singapore is also an active participant in regional and international efforts to address trafficking in persons. We regularly share relevant information with foreign counterparts on trends concerning the abuse of travel and identification documents, people smuggling, and best practices against trafficking. Such regional and international efforts complement Singapore's domestic measures to deter and detect the movement of illegal immigrants. We have robust laws to prosecute those who traffic people, including laws against exploiting minors for commercial sex outside of Singapore. At the same time, we recognise that victims of trafficking require our help. Thus, we have in place a comprehensive process to ensure that assistance is extended to identified victims of trafficking.

Singapore recognises that despite our best efforts, it will not be possible to eradicate the problems of people smuggling and trafficking in persons on our own. We are committed to continue working closely with our foreign partners in the regional and international arena, such as the Bali Process, to deal with these transnational challenges. We appreciate the cooperation with our closest neighbours, Indonesia and Malaysia, to combat the problems of people smuggling and trafficking in persons. I share the sentiments of Dato Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, on this issue.

Thank you, Co-Chairmen.

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