TLDR: During the 19th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime (AMMTC), Malaysian Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail urged member states to adopt generative artificial intelligence and bolster data sharing to effectively combat the escalating threat of transnational crime. He emphasized that criminals are increasingly exploiting digital platforms, cryptocurrencies, and AI, necessitating a unified and technologically advanced response from the bloc.
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – At the 19th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime (AMMTC) and Related Meetings, held in Melaka from September 8 to 12, 2025, Malaysian Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail issued a strong call for ASEAN member states to strategically deploy generative artificial intelligence (AI) and enhance data sharing mechanisms. The minister underscored these measures as critical in the collective fight against the growing sophistication of transnational criminal activities.
Speaking on September 9, Minister Saifuddin highlighted that contemporary global disruptions and rapid advancements in technology are fundamentally reshaping the security landscape. He noted that criminal organizations are adeptly exploiting digital platforms, cryptocurrencies, and artificial intelligence to expand their illicit operations across national borders, posing unprecedented challenges to regional security.
‘Generative AI technology is a game-changer for achieving some of the goals, but the technology is only helpful with the right and sufficient data,’ Minister Saifuddin stated, as cited by Malaysia’s news agency Bernama. He further emphasized, ‘That is why data sharing is a must if we want to work together to stop cross-border crimes.’
The Malaysian Home Minister urged ASEAN to complement its inherent unity with the courage to confront these new threats head-on. This includes updating outdated systems and making bold, decisive actions to safeguard the dignity and safety of ASEAN’s approximately 680 million citizens.
Echoing these concerns, ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn warned that the region’s deeper economic integration and rapid digitalization, while beneficial, also create vulnerabilities. He pointed out that criminal networks are exploiting open economies, porous borders, and emerging technologies for a wide array of illicit activities, including human trafficking, cybercrime, money laundering, and environmental offenses. Secretary-General Kao stressed that such threats not only undermine economic stability and weaken institutions but also erode public trust, disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable communities. He called upon ASEAN members to translate their commitments into concrete cooperation, coordinated action, and tangible results.
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Under Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2025, themed ‘Inclusivity and Sustainability,’ the nation has outlined four key priorities for the bloc. These include intensifying actions against people smuggling and human trafficking, establishing a senior officials meeting on transnational crime working group focused on money laundering, finalizing the SOMTC work program for 2026-2028, and shaping the ASEAN plan of action to combat transnational crime for the period of 2026-2035.
