The United States says it is looking forward to closer cooperation on maritime law enforcement in Southeast Asia, following a regional conference co-hosted with Thailand this week.
The ninth Southeast Asia Maritime Law Enforcement Initiative (SEAMLEI) Commanders’ Forum was held at the Anantara Riverside Bangkok Resort hotel from Tuesday to Friday.
Participants included maritime commanders from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, the US and Vietnam as well as representatives from other Southeast Asian nations.
The forum focused on maritime law enforcement and had nothing to do with ongoing territorial disputes in the South China Sea, stressed Thai navy commander-in-chief Adm Choengchai Chomchoengpaet and Rear Adm Brendan McPherson, deputy commander of the US Coast Guard Pacific Area.
They said the forum was aimed at promoting cooperation on maritime security and safety and discussing challenges facing coast guards and maritime law enforcement authorities.
Robert Godec, the US ambassador to Thailand, said those challenges included transnational crimes, trafficking and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
The US is a major import and export market for the region and the forum provided opportunities to address the challenges, he said.
The forum helped the participating countries to strengthen relationships and foster the trust that is essential to solving problems and advancing common goals, the ambassador said.
