The General Department of Customs and Excise of Cambodia (GDCE) received a Lao Customs delegation – led by director for international cooperation division Saymanolinh Sinbandhit – over January 16-20, in a bid to strengthen cooperation and boost efficiency in the prevention of and crackdown on cross-border illegal goods trafficking.
The GDCE also received Australian Border Force (ABF) representatives Micheal Cymbalista and Joel Carruthers as well as UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) representative Nuttha Ummarakoon.
The visit also aimed to give the Lao officials a deeper understanding of Cambodian Custom’s “successful” experiences with the Container Control Program (CCP), which was developed by the UNODC and World Customs Organization (WCO) as a cooperative mechanism to address the recent global supply chain issues, the GDCE said.
“Through this mechanism, member countries have increased the efficiency of measures to prevent and suppress illegal goods [trafficking], tax evasion and unscrupulous misuse thereof, and terrorist activities,” it said.
On a visit to the Container Control Unit (CCU) of the Customs and Excise Branch of Sihanoukville Autonomous Port, the delegation was familiarised with the cargo inspection sites and equipment, container and docking stations, self-certification and electronic systems, and customs clearance and related procedures.
Laos’ Saymanolinh commended the Kingdom on its adaptation and implementation of the CCP, stressing that “Cambodia and Laos have to continue to strengthen cooperation between their customs administrations” in the context of the new normal of Covid-19, he added.
At a meeting with the ABF’s Cymbalista and Carruthers, GDCE director-genenral Kun Nhim discussed bilateral customs cooperation and upcoming regional workshops supported by the ABF.
