JAKARTA, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong planned to enhance cooperation in public security with Malaysia, Indonesia and other ASEAN countries, said the visiting leader of the Security Bureau of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government on Thursday.
Ambrose SK Lee, Hong Kong's Secretary for Security, began his visit to Malaysia and Indonesia on Monday. He told Xinhua here on Thursday that both the two Southeast Asian countries had reached consensus with Hong Kong.
They agreed that their public security force should strengthen contact and communication under the circumstance of globalization.
"We have kept a good relationship with counterparts in ASEAN countries and signed agreements on reciprocal judicial assistance with Malaysia and Indonesia," said Lee. "But I think we can further lift cooperation level in terms of personnel communication and training, as well as cross-border crime information exchange."
As for the general concerned terrorism, Lee said that Hong Kong was a very safe International Metropolis, but its neighboring ASEAN countries may suffer terrorist attack. Thus, he said that the bureau should not neglect the threat, but had to enhance information exchange, prevent terrorists from building base or acting in Hong Kong, and shuts terrorism out.
Lee met the Minister of home affairs Hishammuddin Hussein, Deputy Police Chief Ismail Omar, Director General of Immigration Department Abdul Rahman Othman, and Royal Customs Department Director General Ibrahim Jaapar in Malaysia. He introduced the recent development and public security condition in Hong Kong, and exchanged views on mutual concerns, such as terrorism, cross- border crimes and drug trafficking, with Malaysian officials.
Later in Indonesia, he met the Minister of Justice and Human Rights Patrialis Akbar and the Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Muhaimin Iskandar. Both sides exchanged views on the issue of Indonesian labor migrants in Hong Kong and agreed to expand cooperation in law enforcement and entry-exit management.
Lee said that Indonesia was the largest foreign domestic help provider of Hong Kong, as it had exported more than 100,000 maids to the metropolis, who contributed a lot to Hong Kong's economic development.
The Security Bureau is responsible for a wide-ranging policy portfolio, from the maintenance of law and order, exercising effective and efficient immigration and customs control, rehabilitating offenders and drug abusers, and providing swift and reliable emergency fire and rescue services.
