Minister for Home Affairs, Brendan O’Connor, today announced that the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security signed an Exchange of Letters as part of the establishment of the Vietnam-Australia Joint Transnational Crime Centre (VNJTCC).

The VNJTCC will facilitate information and intelligence sharing between the two countries about transnational crime in key areas of illicit drugs, money laundering and child sex tourism.

Due to be opened in 2010, the VNJTCC will be located within the Vietnamese General Department of Police Premises in Ho Chi Minh City.

“The establishment of the VNJTCC is a significant step forward in the fight against transnational crime within the region,” Minister O’Connor said.

“In my recent discussions with Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Khanh Toan, Standing Vice Minister, Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security, I emphasised that the Australian Government remains committed to continuing the working relationships established in police development and the general security sector within the region.”

The AFP International Network has liaison officers in Hanoi and in Ho Chi Minh City where the focus of work is narcotic related. AFP Chief Operating Officer Andrew Wood said the centre will further increase the AFP’s capacity within the region.

“The VNJTCC will enhance the ability of both our agencies to combat transnational crime and it will continue to strengthen the relationship between the AFP and Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security,” Chief Operating Officer Wood said.

Similar Joint Transnational Crime Centres have already been established in Cambodia and Columbia.

Mr O’Connor said the Australian Government had also been working closely with the Vietnamese-Australian community on an outreach campaign to highlight the dangers of drug trafficking in Vietnam.

Messages developed with Vietnamese-Australian community representatives have been distributed widely through the Vietnamese-Australian communities in major Australian cities.

“Our activities have focused specifically on groups most vulnerable to drug syndicate pressures such as women, youth, new arrivals and those dealing with drug and gambling addictions,” Mr O’Connor said.