Kuala Lumpur: Cross-border crime and cybercrime will be among the focus of the Home Ministry (KDN) throughout Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship for 2025, said its Minister, Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail. Speaking to the media after the KDN Monthly Gathering for February here today, he said the ministry will be involved in the security cluster encompassing 10 key agendas, which will serve as a guide to all meetings at the officer, senior officer, and ministry levels.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Saifuddin emphasized the importance of regional collaboration in tackling cross-border crime, which involves intelligence sharing, capacity building, and joint operations. He acknowledged the challenge, stating that neither Malaysia nor any ASEAN nation can tackle the issue alone. Cybercrime, including online fraud, also poses a significant challenge, having surged both locally and globally.

Saifuddin pointed out that the ASEAN meeting on the security cluster would be incomplete without addressing cybercrime. The ASEAN Ministers’ Meeting on Security is set to be held in Melaka in September, where these issues will be a primary focus.

Malaysia officially assumed the 2025 ASEAN Chair on January 1, marking its fifth time since the establishment of ASEAN in 1967. The country previously held the Chairmanship in 1977, 1997, 2005, and 2015.