25 August 2026 Bangkok, Thailand

The Regional Office for Capacity Building for Asia/Pacific (ROCB A/P) held a productive meeting with the Customs Attachés of the Embassy of France in Bangkok to exchange information on capacity-building activities and explore opportunities for synergy across the region.

The meeting, led by Mr. Jun Tajima of ROCB A/P together with colleagues, Mr. Mark Ho and Ms. Chananchita Rueng-O-Cha, focused on aligning efforts to support Customs administrations in ASEAN and neighbouring countries. Discussions covered programmes in areas such as detection dog (canine) training, officer exchange initiatives, e-commerce and intellectual property rights (IPR) enforcement, and environmental compliance, including plastic and hazardous waste management.

Representing the French side were Mr. Patrick Mihoub, Customs Attaché for Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia, and Ms. Audrey Hoffmann, Deputy Customs Attaché. The French Customs Attaché network plays an important role in delivering technical cooperation and capacity-building support throughout Southeast Asia.

Key topics included French experience in building autonomous canine units, best practices in dog-handler cohabitation, and potential collaboration on profiling, X-ray analysis and officer exchanges at major airports. Both sides also reviewed plans for e-commerce and IPR-related workshops in A/P region. The French team showed its experiences and indicated readiness to explore joint or complementary initiatives with other Customs authorities.

Both sides expressed strong interest in closer coordination to avoid duplication of efforts and maximise the impact of capacity-building activities for Member administrations. ROCB A/P shared updates on its work under the WCO’s evolving framework and offered to continue exchanging information on regional needs and planned activities. 

ROCB A/P will continue supporting Members through tailored technical assistance and knowledge-sharing opportunities. This meeting marks a positive step toward enhanced partnership between ROCB A/P and the French Customs Attaché network, contributing to stronger, more coordinated Customs capacity building across the Asia/Pacific region.

For more information, please contact our office at rocb@rocbap.org