Disruption Working Group Joint Periods of Action (JPoA) support cross-border collaboration and joint investigations into people smuggling and the exploitation and trafficking of persons across the Asia-Pacific region. In the 2023-2024 JPoA, Sri Lanka and Thailand established joint efforts to identify Sri Lankan citizens aiming to travel into Thailand with the view to then transit illegally into neighbouring countries. New Zealand and Việt Nam, who are also Co-Chairs of the Disruption Working Group, discussed avenues to address organised crime groups that traffic Vietnamese nationals into New Zealand. 

Held over 16-18 July 2024 in Hanoi, Việt Nam, the gathering, hosted by Immigration New Zealand and New Zealand Police and co-chaired by the governments of New Zealand and Việt Nam—was designed as a space for attendees to ‘Review, Reflect and Reset’ on collective endeavours of Working Group members over the past 12 months. 

Under the theme “Review, Reflect and Reset”, the three-day agenda was comprised of several dynamic sessions aimed at strengthening innovative investigative strategies and fostering collaborative approaches to ensure a safer regional environment. Participants included law enforcement officials, immigration authorities, border security personnel, and subject matter experts from various international organisations, all eager to share insights and best practices. 

The opening ceremony featured remarks from New Zealand’s Ambassador to Việt Nam, Ms. Caroline Beresford, who emphasised New Zealand’s Indo-Pacific foreign policy commitment, including the importance of partnerships, guided by the strategic partnership with Việt Nam. Furthermore, she highlighted information sharing to counter smuggling of migrants and trafficking in persons, and acknowledged the Bali Process as a testament to the shared collaborative approach to tackling these complicated problems. Director General Doan Hoang Minh from Việt Nam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, followed with an address on the increasing complexity of migration post-COVID-19, as well as the need for coordinated action and fostering legal and safe migration to maintain regional stability. 

One key outcome from the 6th JPoA has been the placement of Eranga Rambukwella, Immigration Investigations Officer at The Department of Immigration & Emigration from the Government of Sri Lanka, as a secondee in the offices of the Regional Support Office of the Bali Process (RSO).  

Eranga’s secondment is funded by the Government of New Zealand and represents a strong commitment in New Zealand’s ongoing efforts to address the complex challenges posed by irregular migration in the Asia-Pacific region, and to further strategic relationships and regional cooperation developed during the 2023-24 JPoA.  

An important part of Eranga’s role will be to foster continued partnership working between Sri Lankan and Thai Immigration Officials. Eranga will be working closely with the RSO’s Border & Migration Management team, to support and inform RSO activities. 

The second day commenced with an address from Ms. Miah Park, Chief of Mission for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Vietnam, who spotlighted valuable insights into the narrowing of legal migration pathways and the associated push factors for individuals to undertake riskier migration journeys that may result in higher risks for trafficking and exploitation.  

A group workshop encouraging participants to share experiences, reflections and ideas for future collaborative approaches followed, with numerous attendees highlighting the need for continued public awareness about the risks and realities of irregular migration, enhanced training for frontline officials to recognise trafficking indicators, and greater capacity development to conduct cyber investigations.  

Discussions highlighted the importance of forging strong partnerships among policymakers, law enforcement, and the private sector—including social media companies. Attendees tackled the complexities of organisational, jurisdictional, and operational differences, emphasising the need for ongoing training and resources to adapt to the rapidly evolving digital landscape. 

On the final day, the Australian Ambassador to Việt Nam—and former Australian Ambassador for People Smuggling and Human Trafficking—Andrew Goledzinowski, addressed the persistent challenges of modern slavery and the essential nature of regional collaboration through fora such as the Bali Process. The ambassador highlighted the significant issue of cyber scams in Southeast Asia, noting that these scams often involve victims locked in exploitative conditions, and stressed the need for better collaboration between governments, the private sector, and civil society. 

Following the Ambassador’s address, attendees gathered to share ideas, perspectives and suggestions for priority areas that the Working Group could support for the coming 24 months. Through a series of formal interventions, attendees expressed a desire for increased avenues to build closer relationships and more effectively share information, better understand and utilise new technologies to counter trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants and strengthen engagement and initiatives across Bali Process Working Groups. David Scott, RSO Co-Manager (Australia), encouraged the Working Group to conduct engagement with Bali Process Member States to assist with the establishment of key priorities for the Working Group going forward. 

Kylie Seumanu, Head of Irregular Migration and Trafficking in Persons at Immigration New Zealand, captured the essence of the conference, stating, “People-centred problems require people-centred solutions, built on solid foundations of genuine partnership and reciprocity. The Bali Process Working Group on Disruption of Criminal Networks involved in People Smuggling and Human Trafficking is a dynamic and committed collective who are genuinely motivated to improving outcomes for victims, and disrupting networks who seek to exploit the most vulnerable people within our region.  

As a group, we know we have to continue to push ourselves to innovate and reset our strategic approaches to keep ahead of the curve—it takes a network to defeat a network.”  

The RSO looks forward to continuing to provide support to the Disruption Working Group, including facilitating collaboration and cooperation between members and through support for the implementation of the 2024-26 Forward Work Plan.