Asia-Pacific intelligence chiefs meet in Brunei on security cooperation

Heads and representatives of military intelligence organizations from 24 countries across the world met here Monday for a conference on pursuing stability through defense intelligence cooperation.

The 8th Asia-Pacific Intelligence Chiefs Conference (APICC) will focus on the main topics of maritime security, anti- transnational crime and law enforcers' training for combating terrorism, according to a press release issued by Brunei's Ministry of Defense.

The conference aims to promote open dialogue for military intelligence chiefs in the Asia-Pacific region to further build their networks and enhance cooperation towards a more consolidated response to common security challenges, it said. The three-day APICC is jointly organized by Brunei's Ministry of Defense and the United States Pacific Command (USPACOM) and marks the first time Brunei co-hosts the meeting with the United States.

The participating countries also include Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Canada, China, France, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Laos, Malaysia, the Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Tonga, the United Kingdom and Vietnam.

Various bilateral meetings between the participating countries will take place on the sidelines of the meeting.

Initiated in Kuala Lumpur by USPACOM in 2007, APICC serves as an annual regional avenue that gives military intelligence chiefs an opportunity to come together, interact closely and discuss cooperative matters within the intelligence field. Endi