REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Delegations of ASEAN member countries attending a meeting on the ASEAN Seaport Interdiction Task Force (ASEAN SITF) held in Batam, Riau Islands Province, are supporting Indonesia's initiative to set up an ASEAN SITF, an official said.

The support for the task force establishment would promote concrete cooperation among the concerned stakeholders, Arief Wicaksono, deputy of Law and Cooperation at the National Narcotic Agency (BNN), said in a statement here on Thursday.

"And so far, officially there is no seaport interdiction task force," he said.

Presentations by ASEAN member countries' delegations revealed that drug trafficking via seaport is one of the most serious threats, he said.

The delegations agreed to make a list of points of contact to facilitate a speedy exchange of information when drug smuggling attempts happen.

"When we protect our own country, automatically, we will protect the neighboring countries as well," he said.

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