Regional intelligence agreement sent for Parliament approval

An agreement to form a center focused on combatting organized crime in South Asia has been presented to parliament for approval.

The agreement lead by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime is to form the South Asia Regional Intelligence and Coordination Center on Transnational Organized Crime and in addition to the Maldives will be signed by Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.

The President's Office has sent the agreement to the parliament for its approval since it has already been approved by the cabinet. 

The main target of the agreement is to combat organized crime in South Asian countries and reduce the social, economic and political damage caused by such crime and protect the lives and rights of people and maintain the peace between the countries.

Under this agreement, countries would agree to conduct international operations from the South Asia Regional Intelligence and Coordination Center on Transnational Organized Crime based in Sri Lanka. The center will also allow information on organized crime and its operations to be stored and shared between the countries. 

The Home Ministry has stated that countries will operate to combat crime under this agreement with respect and in good faith to each other's independence and refrain from activities that might impede upon a countries' foreign policy. The agreement will also follow laws on sharing information in the countries.

The Home Ministry has stated that the center is an important step that will help in controlling crime in the country and bring wrongdoers in front of justice and reduce the damage caused by such crime on the people and maintain the internal security of the country.