Russian Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev has proposed a joint search operation to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations police chiefs association (ASEANAPOL), the Interior Ministry said Wednesday.The proposal was voiced at the 36th ASEANAPOL conference in Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur. Kolokoltsev noted that a total of seven Russian nationals accused of committing grave crimes have been handed over to Russian authorities by ASEAN member states so far in 2016. The minister also noted a high potential for developing dialogue between Russian and Southeast Asian law enforcement agencies.
ASEAN comprises Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. ASEANAPOL held its first meeting in 1981. The police chiefs' association aims to harmonize and standardize coordination and communication between the bloc's police institutions.