Sub-Regional Bureaus Liaison Office Bangkok (LOBANG)

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The Interpol Liaison Office for South-East Asia was established in Bangkok in 1975 in accordance with a resolution adopted by the 2nd Asian Regional Conference (Cannes, 1974).

The aim of the Liaison Office is to collect and where appropriate give information, to facilitate when necessary day-to-day cooperation between law enforcement agencies and to establish close consultation and co-operation in promoting the suppression of the illicit drug trade in the region.

First established as a drugs liaison office for Southeast Asia in 1978, LOBANG was located within the Royal Thai Police HQ compound. On 4 February 1978, a formal agreement was signed between the Government of the Kingdom of Thailand and the INTERPOL Office for South-East Asia in Bangkok.

Over the years, the Liaison Office has been engaged in a broad spectrum of activities and missions ranging from liaison visits and attendance at international conferences to preparation of analytical reports on intelligences and trends in crimes. It has carried out liaison work with other international organizations and worked closely with a large number of foreign Liaison Officers based in Bangkok.

Scope of Activities

• Encouraging and facilitating member countries in this region to fully explore the use of I-24/7.
• Integration of the ASEANAPOL database into INTERPOL databases by providing ASEANPOL with I-24/7 communication system as the platform.
• Working alongside the INTERPOL General Secretariat to address priority crime areas.
• Actively participating in Incident Response Team (IRT) operations, such as the Bali bombing, identification of victims of the 2004 Tsunami in Phuket, Thailand, and IMEST (INTERPOL Major Events Support Team) operations at member countries’ request.
• Cooperating with other international law enforcement agencies in this region, such as UNODC RC, WCO Asia and Pacific, ILEA, etc.
• Facilitate training and meetings in the region.

Countries that are served by the Sub-Regional Bureau

The following countries can also be supported by LOBANG: