Unsafe land and maritime movements are a priority concern for the Bali Process region. Displaced and vulnerable populations continue to rise as a result of natural and humanitarian disasters, armed conflict, and economic hardships—pushing people to seek a better life. Costs and bureaucracy associated with regular migration pathways can also push people towards choosing riskier options, where they can become easy targets for smugglers and traffickers. The stark challenges facing the region is illustrated through the arrival by sea of some 1,100 Rohingya asylum seekers in November alone to Aceh, Indonesia from Cox’s Bazar in southeastern Bangladesh.
This month the RSO—in collaboration with the Australian Federal Police, New Zealand Police, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and Jakarta Centre for Law Enforcement Cooperation—brought together officials from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Viet Nam, working in law enforcement, immigration, coast guard and navy for a two-week long intensive program on countering people smuggling in Colombo, Sri Lanka from 20 November to 1 December 2023. The training included theory-based and practical modules to provide participants with the skills required to work together on the scenario-based exercise. Modules included digital forensics, document examination, intelligence and investigative techniques, open source intelligence, boat, vehicle and room searches, witness interviewing, and evidence.
Tuan Meedin—currently on secondment with the RSO from Sri Lanka Police—led the coordination of this training, working closely with Sri Lankan counterparts. You can read a profile with Tuan about his secondment to the RSO here. This training marks the first time the program has been delivered outside of the Jakarta Centre for Law Enforcement Cooperation in Indonesia in its 15-year history. And with Sri Lanka’s longstanding commitment to combatting people smuggling operations via maritime and aviation routes, the hosting of the training course in Sri Lanka was particularly fitting.
Participants dove into hands-on scenarios, working together in four syndicates to identify and investigate the head of a people smuggling network. In one exercise, teams meticulously searched a boat using best practices to brief their squads, collect evidence, secure the vessel, and conducted witness interviews using the P.E.A.C.E model of interviewing. For many participants, executing a warrant and conducting a search were new experiences, and trainers saw huge improvements in participants’ search practices and interviewing techniques as they responded to feedback and put their learning into practice.
Mrs. Gayani Kaushalya Wijesinghe, Sri Lankan Additional Secretary for the Ministry of Public Security, who opened the program along with Mr Samarakoon Banda, Senior Superintendent of Police, said: “I firmly believe that this two-week program will open a new door to equip law enforcement professionals with essential skills to combat aviation and maritime people smuggling ventures. Apart from that, this special initiative would definitely be a strong stage to identify, investigate and prosecute entities involved in people smuggling. The anticipated outcomes include enhanced investigation skills, a sophisticated understanding of people smuggling and the creation of a network, breaking down communication barriers.”
L.A.K Lalith Lityanaarachchi, Immigration Officer, Department of Immigration and Emmigration, Sri Lanka said: “This course was very helpful for me because my normal working location is in airports and seaports, where we meet new passengers every day and only have a short period with them. Personally, the interviewing techniques I learned are very important for me. I liked the investigation scenario as we had to think outside of the box”
H.R. Omal Chaminda, Command Intelligence Officer (NCC) Directorate of Naval Intelligence, Sri Lanka said: “I learned a lot from the interviewing sessions and the feedback was very helpful. The scenarios were very important because it made me think and forced me to improve my analytical thinking.”
Tuan Meedin, RSO Secondee from Sri Lankan Police said: “This two-week training has supported capacity building for officials from Sri Lanka Police, Navy, Coast Guard, and Immigration and Emigration, through its targeting of middle level and junior officers who are directly involved in criminal investigations, and who usually have fewer opportunities to participate in international workshops and training program. Peoples smuggling and human trafficking investigations must be carried out in close collaboration with the international community and agencies, and this training successfully brought together officers from across various countries in the region, who were able to hear from a range of international trainers and actors.
“Discussions over the two weeks indicated areas for development and focus, including the development of technical knowledge and computer forensics skills, examination of documents for international investigations, raising awareness of international organisations, crime scene investigation and evidence handling and ability to adapt new methods for investigations.”
