DA NANG – The Communications and Digital Ministry will focus on Malaysia’s position as chairman of Asean 2025 through the Asean Ministers Responsible for Information (AMRI) Conference platform, its minister Fahmi Fadzil said.
It includes efforts by agencies under the ministry, including Institute of Broadcasting and Information Tun Abdul Razak (IPPTAR), Bernama and the Information Department.
“The next AMRI conference will be held in Brunei in 2025 and we will also host Asean 2025 (as chair). I see several matters that we can work on these two years.
“For instance, IPPTAR, Bernama and the Information Department can gather journalists from South East Asia to promote Malaysia and foster closer ties between countries,” he told Bernama after the 16th AMRI conference ended here today.
He added that several matters that countries involved in the conference, including Asean dialogue partners like China, Japan and South Korea, would be prioritised to boost cooperation under the AMRI platform.
He cited China, which was focused on its Belt and Road News Network (BRNN), a platform encompassing 182 media outlets from 86 countries, that was launched in April 2019, to promote its Belt and Road initiative.
Japan meanwhile is focused on infrastructure efforts while South Korea is emphasising on artificial intelligence issues that could be misused to produce fake news, he added.
So, Asean plus Three needs to work together to face such challenges, Fahmi said.
In his meeting with Vietnam and Cambodia yesterday, Fahmi said his ministry was studying the documents to renew the memorandum of understanding with Vietnam that was signed in 1996 and that the Communications and Digital Ministry was ready to share technical expertise regarding protection of personal data and civil security with Cambodia.
“The Personal Data Protection Department can assist in the aspects of boosting awareness and personal data security while CyberSecurity Malaysia can showcase their expertises as one of the best technical agencies in the Asia Pacific,” he said.
Fahmi held two 40-minute meetings with his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Manh Hung and Cambodian counterpart Neth Pheaktra yesterday.
The 16th AMRI with the theme “Media: From Information to Knowledge for a Resilient and Responsive Asean”, held in Furama Resort Danang, was focused on efforts to curb fake news and misinformation as well as to build a more resilient and responsive Asean community.
Communications and Digital Ministry secretary-general Datuk Mohamad Fauzi Md Isa and the Information Department’s Media and Corporate Communications Division director Datuk E.Sivabalan, Bernama (News Services) deputy chief editor Nur-ul Afida Kamaludin and senior officials of the ministry and other agencies were part of the Malaysian delegation. – September 23, 2023