First-ever Maldives Border Security Symposium commences

An inter-agency symposium to reinforce border security, the first of its kind to be held in the Maldives, has commenced on Tuesday.

The symposium, which began today at Meerumaa Hotel, is spearheaded by Maldives Immigration and is attended by five local and two international agencies.

These agencies include Maldives Immigration, Maldives Police Service, Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF), Aviation Security Command, and Maldives Customs Service.

Two international agencies - International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) - are also participating in the symposium.

Deputy Minister of Defence, Hassan Zameel, whilst speaking during the opening ceremony held today said that the agencies in charge of border security lack cohesion and communication between these agencies are lackluster as well.

“As a result, some responsibilities are being neglected. Inter-agency projects to fortify border security are also undertaken to a smaller extent. Hence, planning strategies for border control is being hindered to boot,” he said.

He also stated that such symposiums offer opportunities for relevant agencies to discuss barriers and issues faced in border security.

Following the opening ceremony, the Controller General of Immigration, Mohamed Ahmed Hussain (Hanafy), disclosed that this symposium will be the first time all border security agencies sit and discuss the issues faced and how to strengthen border security at the same table.

“The main objective of this symposium is to detect and discuss the concerns regarding border security at the same table,” he said.

He further elaborated that raising the topics discussed at the symposium to the policy level and hopefully reforming said policies if there is a need for it will be one of the main objectives of this symposium.

He also stated that in order to be aware of any shortcomings in border security, it is important for all agencies involved to be on the same page.

Hanafy said that while there are four major agencies that deal with border security, there are numerous organizations that come under them.

He reiterated that this symposium will not be a one-time occurrence and that it will be annual so that the issues arising during each year can be delved into.