Law enforcement officials from Laos, Thailand, and the United States met in Nongkhai Province, Thailand, from September 23-24, 2025, to strengthen regional cooperation against transnational crime. The event was coordinated by the U.S. Embassy in Vientiane with support from the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok.
The conference included around 30 immigration police leaders—15 each from Laos and Thailand—as well as representatives from various U.S. law enforcement agencies. These included the Regional Security Office at the U.S. Embassy in Vientiane, Overseas Criminal Investigations units from both embassies, and regional Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Protection offices based at the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok.
Participants discussed strategies for improving collaboration on issues such as human trafficking, child exploitation, narcotics trafficking, weapons smuggling, and cyberscam activities. They also focused on enhancing information exchange to improve border security coordination.
All countries agreed on the importance of regional cooperation to combat criminals who operate across borders without regard for national laws. According to a statement issued during the meeting: "This cooperative law enforcement approach is one of the many initiatives the U.S. State Department is undertaking to support similar efforts throughout ASEAN." The statement also noted that cross-border cooperation among ASEAN member states will be a priority topic at next month’s ASEAN Leaders Summit in Kuala Lumpur.
The initiative highlights ongoing efforts by the United States, Laos, and Thailand to address shared security challenges through dialogue and joint action.