Pacific Islands Increasingly Vulnerable to Transnational Organized Crime — UN Report

Sydney (PNA/Xinhua) — The Pacific Islands is becoming increasingly vulnerable to transnational organized crimes with many regional countries struggling to cope with the new situation, according to a report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

As the region becomes more integrated and connected with other places, especially Asia, it is more susceptible to crime and security challenges, UNODC regional representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific Jeremy Douglas said in the report released on Thursday.

Situated between major sources and destinations of illicit goods, Pacific Island countries are frequently being used as a transit point for drug pushing activities en route to Australia and New Zealand, and other destinations, the report said.

“Methamphetamine and precursor chemicals from Asia, and cocaine from the Americas, are trafficked to and through Pacific Island countries,” UNODC analyst Inshik Sim said.

“There is also evidence of ‘spillover’ of illicit drugs into Pacific Island countries.”

“They do not have the infrastructure or programs to deal with illicit drug use,” Sim said.

The report also examines illegal fisheries and logging in the Pacific Islands, highlighting how related illicit activities and trafficking threaten sustainability and the livelihoods of people in the region.

“Organized crime profits from the environment by illegally taking and trafficking resources, and they do not care about how devastating it can be for a small state,” Douglas said.

The geographical location of Pacific island countries also makes them a possible transit point for human trafficking into Australia, New Zealand and the United States, Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) deputy secretary general Andie Fong Toy said.

The report recommends the region update its related laws and policies, develop a strategic data and research, and build capacity for international cooperation and operations.

“We have been working with countries and regional institutions in the Pacific in recent years, but it is clear that this needs to be scaled-up,” Douglas said.

“What we are proposing fits with the Framework of Pacific Regionalism adopted by the PIFS, and we will support the region to respond to security and development threats posed by transnational organized crime,” he said.

The report, entitled “Transnational Organized Crime in the Pacific: A Threat Assessment”, was jointly developed by PIFS along with neighbouring East and Southeast Asian countries and the Americas.

It looked at four major transnational organized crimes such as drug and chemical precursor trafficking, human trafficking, environmental crime and trafficking of small arms. (PNA/Xinhua) BNB/CDN