Cooperation Beyond Borders

Fourth Border Forum Outcome Report | 19–20 November 2025, Bangkok, Thailand

Criminal networks are adapting faster than many border systems can respond.

Delegates reported route displacement following strengthened enforcement action, new transit points, more complex combinations of genuine and fraudulent documents, and increasing cases of trafficking for forced criminality. Delegates also flagged delays in operational information flow within agencies, between agencies, and across borders as major barriers to timely intervention.

Key outcomes

Shared route picture updated

Delegates validated which routes remain active and where networks have shifted, diversified or dispersed, including emerging Pacific transit dynamics and evolving air and maritime pathways.

Evolving modus operandi articulated

Priority tactics consolidated, including hybrid document and identity manipulation and maritime dispersion tactics that complicate detection.

Forced criminality now a mainstream issue

Trafficking into scam centres is a region-wide disruptor, creating screening and due-process dilemmas where people may be both victims and offenders.

Information flow is the critical bottleneck

Fragmented inter-agency and cross-border sharing is the main barrier to timely action, with a strong push to institutionalise cooperation beyond personal relationships.

Practical countermeasures prioritised

Focal-point networks, common templates and definitions, 24/7 operational contacts, clearer escalation pathways and better use of API/PNR and watchlists.

Safeguards for automation and integrity

E-gates can reduce human visibility without safeguards, and insider risk must be treated as a strategic vulnerability requiring oversight, vetting, reporting channels and rotation.

Capability built through scenarios

Concrete takeaways on fraudulent document cases, trauma-informed interviewing and crisis response in challenging security environments.

Stronger networks, clear RSO value

The RSO's role as an operational convenor was reinforced, translating frontline realities into shared priorities and inputs for the next RSO Work Plan.

Where cooperation works, and where it stalls

Delegates worked through realistic cases from their own border posts, tracing the full route of travel. Select a stage to see what they reported.

What delegates saw

Genuine visas paired with forged supporting documents
AI-generated visa artefacts and substituted photos
Boarding-pass swaps, and genuine and forged documents combined, including for children

Where systems stall

Weak face-to-passport checks by some carriers
Uneven access to API and PNR systems
Differing privacy rules and system compatibility limit consistent use of passenger data

What helps

Use API/PNR, CCTV and booking data to identify facilitators and route patterns, not only individual passengers
Stronger engagement with airports and airlines
Share newly identified modus operandi across airports quickly

Route based assessment of movement and tactics

A core methodology of the Fourth Border Forum was the comparative route analysis. Delegates revisited trafficking and smuggling route maps developed at the Third RSO Border Forum, testing these against current observations. This approach alowed delegates to identify which routes remain active, where criminal networks have adapted, and what operational pressures these shifts create at different points of the journey.

Shifts since the Third Border Forum

Broader range of source countries: Flows now extend beyond South and Southeast Asia, with more movements involving Ethiopia, Kenya, Syria, Iran, Japan and the Republic of Korea.

Changes in trafficking routing: Movements from Mongolia through Viet Nam, Hong Kong or Beijing toward Cambodia or Myanmar have grown.

Evolving document tactics: More combinations of genuine and forged documents, including for children, plus AI-generated visa artefacts, substituted photos and misuse of pilgrimage travel.

Pacific transit points: Fiji and other Pacific jurisdictions increasingly serve as transit hubs rather than destinations. The Maldives was flagged as a possible under-detected transit location.

Trafficking into cyber-scam centres: Thailand and Kuala Lumpur remain major gateways. Victims are increasingly moved into smaller residential compounds, and some later into sexual exploitation.

Pressure points at the border: Auto-gates speed processing but limit behavioural observation. API and PNR add value where implemented, but privacy rules and compatibility gaps persist.

Continuing patterns

Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea: Seasonal Rohingya movements continue with high mortality risks. Smugglers and armed groups influence departure points and timing.

Air-led routes to Europe and North America: Transit through Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Beijing and parts of Latin America, using genuine visas with forged support documents and boarding-pass swaps.

Routes toward Australia and New Zealand: Direct smuggling attempts have decreased in some contexts, as networks shift to distant staging points and document manipulation in third countries.

Forced criminality in the Mekong: Victims enter through airports, then move overland into scam compounds in Myanmar, Laos or Cambodia.

Thailand and Malaysia as hubs: Both remain central transit points for multiple route types.

Sector-linked exploitation: Mining, fishing and logging continue to draw irregular workers who overstay and become vulnerable to exploitation.

Member States' Perspectives on Shared Challenges

The country perspectives below illustrate the diversity of routes and risks reported at the Forum from delegates, while also showing recurring regional themes such as route displacement, document fraud, forced-criminality trafficking, maritime vulnerability, and growing pressure on frontline decision-making.

Australia

Australia noted rising arrivals of large groups of Sri Lankan and Indian travellers, linked to more complex organised crime-enabled movements. Delegates also reported cases where individuals trafficked into scam compounds were later moved into other forms of exploitation, showing how routes and harms shift quickly.

Bangladesh

Bangladesh reported continued movement from Bangladesh to Indonesia via northern Sumatra, which remains difficult to manage due to dispersed maritime landing points. The Dhaka–Bangkok–Cambodia route is still active. Dhaka–Iran movements have declined, while newer pathways via Türkiye or Dubai toward Russia are increasing.

China

China highlighted significant movement of its nationals transiting Thailand to scam centres in Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos. Consular caseloads continue to grow as victims escape and request assistance.

Indonesia

Indonesia described shifting smuggling tactics, with syndicates using land, sea and air routes, including flows from Bangladesh and Myanmar through the Indonesian province of Aceh toward Malaysia. Smugglers have moved away from heavily monitored island transit points toward more distant routes. Indonesia also observed ongoing entries into Malaysia and Thailand for employment through tourist pathways, detected at airports and checkpoints.

Malaysia

Malaysia remains a key transit country. Delegates noted continued Andaman Sea arrivals to Malaysia, including seasonal Rohingya boat movements, and observed that stronger enforcement often drives route displacement and diversification.

Mongolia

Mongolia reported sustained use of routes linked to cyber‑scam operations, including Mongolia–China–Myanmar/Bangkok. Delegates noted shifts toward alternative pathways into Cambodia and Myanmar, supported by visa‑free entry to Bangkok or transit through Hong Kong and Beijing. Mongolia also reported detections of its nationals in forced labour in Cambodia and increased Russian migration into Mongolia. Movements along the Mongolia–Viet Nam–Cambodia route are becoming more common as Bangkok–Cambodia movements decline.

New Zealand

New Zealand reported trafficking cases involving Vietnamese nationals using fake visas, including cases ending in forced criminality such as cannabis cultivation. Additional cases linked to Thailand and China involved labour and sexual exploitation.

Pakistan

Pakistan described misuse of pilgrimage travel to Iraq, Iran and Saudi Arabia for trafficking, with travellers diverted into begging or onward movement. This has prompted tighter restrictions on land‑route pilgrimage travel.

Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands reported persistent routes through the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia via Papua New Guinea. These movements are often linked to recruitment into mining, fishing and logging, followed by overstays.

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka noted daily trafficking activity involving India, continued onward smuggling using land routes into Malaysia, and recent maritime arrivals of Rohingya to Sri Lanka. Direct smuggling attempts to Australia are now significantly reduced due to strong cooperation and awareness-raising activities, while noting emerging vulnerabilities in third-country transit locations.

Thailand

Thailand highlighted pressure from outward movements linked to scam‑centre recruitment and described difficulties identifying victims amid heavy tourism flows. Delegates also noted increasingly complex routes through Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia, including looping pathways used to evade detection.

Viet Nam

Viet Nam reported movements originating from Myanmar that are facilitated by border communities along land-border corridors in the sub-region. Delegates also noted that weak face-to-passport checks by some aircraft operators/carriers create vulnerabilities, requiring stronger engagement with airports and airlines.

Actionable Recommendations

These recommendations consolidate recurring priorities identified across plenaries, group work and workshops. Select a recommendation from the dropdown below to learn more.

Enable timely operational information-sharing

Create predictable liaison channels and focal‑point networks along major routes, including Pacific and South Asian hubs. Agree on simple operational parameters for sharing red flags, modus operandi and anonymised trends. Strengthen use of existing liaison networks for quick alerts. Promote non‑sensitive trend data to support shared risk analysis. Develop clear standard operating procedures (SOPs) for time‑critical sharing.

Participation and support

The Fourth RSO Border Forum was attended by Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Canada, China, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nauru, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Palau, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Solomon Islands, Spain, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, United Kingdom, United States of America and Viet Nam.

Organisations represented include the ASEAN-Australia Counter Trafficking, Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation, Freedom Colaborative, Global Initiative Against Transnational Crime, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre, Tori International and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The Forum also benefited from the participation of RSO Alumni and liaison-network practitioners, whose operational experience strengthened peer exchange and practical problem-solving across sessions.

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