| James Kon |
OPERATION Sunbird II was carried out from March 28 to April 8 as part of the effort to enhance counter-terrorism and law enforcement collaboration in Interpol-facilitated border operations which target international fugitives attempting to travel across Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) member countries.
The operation was conducted to identify wanted terror suspects and other criminals by police, immigration and maritime authorities in all 10 Asean member countries through the screening of passports at 30 land, air and sea border points using Interpol’s global databases.
Each participating country also set up a National Local Unit (NLU) to carry out the operation at each respective operation spot. For Brunei Darussalam, the operation focussed its efforts on the Brunei International Airport. The NLU deployed at Brunei International Airport included representatives from the Royal Brunei Police Force, Immigration and National Registration Department and Department of Civil Aviation.
Throughout the duration of Operation Sunbird II, nearly 48,000 checks were made on flight manifests and passports of passengers entering and exiting the airport, which resulted to no hits for any known terrorist, criminal and Stolen or Lost Travel Documents (STLD).
Meanwhile, some five million searches were conducted in participating countries during the operation that resulted to seven arrests and almost 100 hits which include 71 passports being recorded in Interpol’s STLD database.
Seven people who were internationally wanted were apprehended, including two individuals targeted by the United Nations Security Council.
Police personnel checking the passport of passengers. – RBPF
The operation was part of the international organisation’s Capacity Building and Training (CBT) programme funded by the Government of Canada. The operation was coordinated from the Interpol Global Complex of Innovation in Singapore under the umbrella of the Interpol Integrated Border Management Task Force in close cooperation with Asean countries and ASEANAPOL.
The organisation’s broad range of global policing capabilities supporting the operation included Police Data Management, Forensic Support, Criminal Analysis, Fugitive Investigative Support, its Command and Coordination Centre, as well as Capacity Building and Training.
Its Counter-Terrorism unit provided information and follow-up assistance on suspected foreign terrorist fighters travelling within and outside the Southeast Asian region towards conflict zones.
“The last few years have seen significant milestones in the Interpol and ASEANAPOL relations, notably in our cooperation on capacity building and training initiatives and on joint cross-border operations in addressing transnational crimes,” said Ferdinand Bartolome, ASEANAPOL’s Director of Police Services. “These developments underscore the enduring partnership between the two organisations, working together towards a common objective of ensuring peace and prosperity for all.”
Michael O’Connell, Interpol’s Director of Operational Support and Analysis, said, “Operation Sunbird II underlines how internal and international security depends on strong measures at border points to prevent dangerous individuals from travelling. In this respect fostering inter-agency cooperation between all relevant law enforcement agencies involved in border security on land and at sea throughout the region is crucial.”
“The operation combined multiple Interpol Counter-Terrorism projects, including the one targeting UN sanctions, and sought to maximise the use of Interpol policing capabilities for regional and interagency cooperation,” said Kiho Cha, Senior Political Affairs Officer with the UN Security Council Subsidiary Organs Branch.
“The cooperation between Interpol and the UN has already proven its efficiency and added value for the sake of global peace and security. Its future and continuity require the active participation of member states and the exchange of information between Interpol National Central Bureaus (NCB), its Special Representative to the UN and the relevant UN sanctions committees,” added Cha.
With the operation representing the culmination of skills and knowledge developed during a series of capacity building activities for law enforcement in the region since May 2015; Julia Viedma, Interpol’s Director of Capacity Building and Training said, “By bringing together actors across the law enforcement community including key decision makers, investigators, forensic experts, immigration officers as well as NCBs, Operation Sunbird II shows the real operational value of capacity building and training to make a practical difference on the ground.”
Partner agencies included the Interpol NCBs in Asean member countries, law enforcement agencies in Asean member states including immigration, police and maritime authorities, ASEANAPOL and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
The 10 Asean member countries are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
National Coordinators were deployed by each of the participating countries comprising officers from respective Interpol NCBs and Immigration Department to the Operational Coordination Unit (OCU) for the duration of the operation at the Interpol Global Complex for Innovation (IGCI), Singapore.
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