ASEAN now working towards a regional extradition instrument

The Association of South East Asian Nations is working towards an extradition agreement between its member countries. According to Indonesia's Foreign Minister, Marty Natalegawa, the need for such an instrument is growing due to increasing crimes of a "transnational, trans-border nature."

"Within ASEAN there is now an effort to create such an instrument [focused] on extradition. And this covers ASEAN 10 [countries]. We still need to develop consensus. It may be an ASEAN minus formula, but then those who are subsequently able to join, they can join the [multilateral] extradition treaty as well," he told TEMPO English magazine.

"This is open to the full ASEAN but not everybody will join at the same time," he said, explaining that there are "varying levels of interest on this matter."

He said member countries will "increasingly realise" that to keep up with the perpetrators of crimes, "governments must be equally adept in being able to operate against them. Extradition ASEAN-wide is a matter of time."