ASEAN-India-Australia: Towards Closer Engagement in a New Asia

19. Countering International Crime in an ASEAN Context: Singapore's Perspective

19 Countering international Crime in an aSean Context Singapore’s Perspective Lock Wai Han introDuCtion International crime, or transnational crime, often perpetrated by organized crime syndicates, is a concern faced by many countries, particularly in the lucrative areas of drug trafficking, arms smuggling, money laundering, and trading of counterfeit goods. The problem has grown exponentially in recent years with increasingly open borders, faceless methods of transactions, and developments in technology that enhance the speed of illegal trading. Economically, transnational crime undermines the legitimate business environment of countries and results in revenue loss for states as well as corporate entities. Geopolitically, transnational crime can sharply challenge both the institutional capacity and social cohesion of both developed and developing states. In this context, the governments of Australia and India, along with those of the ASEAN member states, share a common concern in neutralizing transnational crime and in cooperating to erode its influence. From a security perspective, any form of transnational crime that is left unchecked will ultimately erode the security of the country. To be effective and to evade law enforcement, organized crime syndicates will often find ways to compromise law enforcement officers to abet their offences. In order to 334 Singapore’s Perspective on Countering International Crime 335 achieve their economic objectives, crime syndicates will also not hesitate to use criminal means against innocent members of the public to coerce them into cooperation. In the process, many victims are created. Migration and the growth of ethnic communities in other nations have led to the mushrooming of crime syndicates such as the East Asian gangs, traditionally located within East Asian countries, to take root on other shores, for example, in Vancouver, Canada, or Sydney, Australia. Notably, at the Interpol Global Conference on Asian Organized Crime held in Singapore in January 2008, more than 200 delegates from over thirty-two countries as diverse as Guinea and Belgium attended, indicating the international reach of those who have had to deal with such gangs. unDerStanDing the Challenge Neutralizing transnational crime is hardly an easy task. The sheer diversity and flexibility of transnational connections offer criminal groups the often crucial advantage of being “one step ahead of the law”. It takes only seconds to wire money across borders, but it takes years to achieve a minimal level of consistency in legal systems amongst nation states. Procedural requirements and enforcement powers, such as wiretapping, search and seizure, extradition, and methods of investigation, can also vary widely amongst law enforcement agencies of different countries, posing additional challenges to bilateral cooperation and enforcement against transnational crimes. Criminal groups have also grown increasingly sophisticated over the years, and they leverage the latest technology to extend their reach and broaden their interests, as well as to avoid detection and enforcement. The use of online avenues allows criminal groups to reach out to an international market. The proliferation of the internet and increased internet penetration worldwide has also facilitated the introduction of new forms of transnational crimes and their growth. Between 2000 and 2007, internet usage worldwide grew by an estimated 266 per cent.1 The rise in cyberbrothels in recent years is a good example. These cyberbrothels are able to advertise their sexual services openly to an international client base, compared with the traditional brothels whose reach is restricted to a localized client base. This allows clients and sex providers to link up in high-speed transactions operating beyond the radar of traditional methods of enforcement and detection. The broader global market encourages such workers to move beyond their countries’ borders, increasing the spread of diseases, social dislocation, and disruption, and increasing the numbers of overseas workers vulnerable to exploitation — partly through unfamiliarity with foreign processes. 336 Lock Wai Han As web technology develops, a variety of modus operandi has also evolved over the years for other cybercrimes. “Phishing”, hacking, botnets, and online fraud are just a few of the variety of crimes that take place over the internet. Technology has also been used to commit “traditional” crimes, such as email scams with scaremongering content saying that a person’s loved one is in trouble in a foreign land, and urging the potential victims to deposit money into regular bank accounts to assist their loved ones. Other emerging technologies continue to pose new challenges to law enforcement agencies. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), wireless internet broadband, and the use of remote servers are used in the commission of offences...