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| Interpol chief Robert Noble (right) with Myanmar's Home Minister (left) |
Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar: In the first ever official mission to Myanmar by an
INTERPOL Secretary General, head of the world police body Ronald K. Noble has
met with senior police and government officials to identify areas for enhanced
law enforcement cooperation.
During his two-day mission (2 and 3 January), Noble met
with Minister of Home Affairs, Lieutenant General Ko Ko and Major General Kyaw
Kyaw Tun, Chief of Police and Head of the INTERPOL National Central Bureau in
Nay Pyi Taw which provides the essential link between Myanmar and INTERPOL’s
global network of 190 member countries.
Minister Ko Ko and Secretary General Noble agreed that
INTERPOL and Myanmar could enhance police cooperation in the areas of police
training and capacity building, and in connecting Myanmar's airports and major
border crossing points to INTERPOL's state-of-the-art passport screening system
called MIND/FIND.
Secretary General Noble agreed to deploy a team of INTERPOL
experts to Myanmar within the next four weeks to conduct a needs assessment of
the ways in which INTERPOL and its member countries can assist Myanmar's police
force to enhance border security, improve capacity building and training, and
be apprised of the latest developments in biometrics to enhance security
protection against international criminals.
“INTERPOL works to support its member countries and our
assistance is more effective when our global tools are in the hands of
frontline police. We will continue to work with Myanmar in identifying ways to
ensure that our international expertise benefits both national law enforcement
and the citizens they serve,” said the INTERPOL chief.
Noble added, “Asia is home to more than half of the world’s population
providing significant opportunities for individuals and businesses, this is why
cooperation via INTERPOL is essential for law enforcement to successfully target
these criminals, as shown by Myanmar’s support in a range of operations."
Secretary General Noble also highlighted the important role
played by Myanmar in a range of international operations coordinated by
INTERPOL, such as Operations Storm I and II to combat counterfeit drugs which
resulted in the seizure of millions of dollars’ worth of fake and illegal
medicines, and Prey II which targeted the illegal trade in wildlife and animal
products and led to the seizure of 40 live tigers and tiger parts.
During his mission, Secretary General Noble visited the
National Central Bureau in Nay Pyi Taw where he met with staff and was updated
on recent activities.