PH, Thailand agree to bolster ties vs. transnational crime, scam hubs

The Philippine and Thai governments have agreed to cooperate closely in curbing transnational crimes, specifically online scam hubs, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Enrique Manalo said. During his meeting with Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa for the 6th Philippine-Thailand Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) in Bangkok on Friday, Manalo said many Filipino and Thai nationals have fallen prey to syndicates running scam centers in the region. 'Our two sides agreed to cooperate closely on defense and security, specifically in combating transnational crimes, which continue to victimize our nationals in their online scamming operations,' he said. 'We also agreed to explore other potential areas of cooperation, such as cybersecurity, peacekeeping operations, and disaster relief, among others.' The Thai government, under Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, has identified anti-cybercrime efforts as a key government policy. The Thai government said it would enhance capacit y in suppressing call center gangs and join forces with neighboring countries to create mechanisms 'for joint responsibility between telecommunications operators and commercial banks.' In May, a group of Filipinos were able to escape their employers who recruited them for a supposed customer service representative job but later forced them to transfer to Myanmar and work as 'love scammers' targeting homosexuals online. On top of addressing transnational crimes, Manalo and Maris also reaffirmed their commitment to continue boosting Philippine-Thai trade and investment relations, particularly in food security, agriculture, and renewable energy. The two ministers also agreed to cooperate in strengthening their tourism sectors through increasing connectivity. Manalo said Manila and Bangkok would also look into technical cooperation to boost capabilities in cultural promotion and labor management. On regional issues, Manalo briefed his Thai counterpart on current developments in the South China Sea and how th e Philippines is upholding the rule of law by exercising its rights in accordance with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 2016 Arbitral Award. He said Manila is also 'closely involved' in finding peace in Myanmar, especially as the Philippines prepares for its ASEAN chairmanship in 2026. 'Overall, the Foreign Minister and I had a productive meeting and I will convey the results of our discussions to the rest of the government agencies back in Manila, so we can begin taking the next steps to implement the action points we have identified,' Manalo said. Source: Philippines News agency