Asia Pasific Countries Mark 10th Anniv of Bali Process

Jakarta (Antara Bali) - Delegates from 26 Asia Pacific countries and 10 world bodies gathered in Bali on Monday to mark the 10th anniversary of Bali Process, a spokesman for the Indonesian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

The commemoration of the 10th anniversary of Bali Process on People Smuggling, Trafficking in Persons and Related Transnational Organized Crime received warm welcome from 98 delegates of 26 Asia Pacific countries and 10 international organizations including ASEAN, UNDP, UNODC, and IMO, the ministry's director for information and media Priatna said.

"Bali Process countries must take more concrete steps in the future to optimize Bali Process cooperation," Director General of Multilateral Cooperation at the Foreign Ministry Hasan Kleib said when opening the forum.

They also must use the commemoration of 10 years of the forum's existence to reflect what they have achieved and what they will do to deal with challenges facing the Bali Process particularly in tackling  people smuggling and trafficking in Asia and the Pacific, he said.

"Right now the biggest challenge facing the Bali Process is how to deal with the comprehensively rising flow of irregular migrants," he said.(*/DWA)