Carey
Interpol Urged to Stop Internet from Becoming "Wild West"
SEOUL, Nov 8, (AFP) -- Interpol should seriously combat the wave of new
crimes being committed in cyberpace, the head of Interpol urged Monday at a
key meeting of international police chiefs here.
"We should not make the Internet a Wild West," said Toshinori Kanemoto,
president of Interpol after the opening of the 68th general assembly of the
international law-enforcement agency in the South Korean capital.
"This is one of the new types of crime which we have to defend (against)
very much," Kanemoto said, adding that it would be "crucial" for
law-enforcement authorities to cooperate with Internet-related industries.
Nearly 900 police chiefs from 127 Interpol member countries are attending
the five-day meeting.
Raymond Kendall, secretary general of Interpol, warned that cyberspace has
become a hotbed of crime.
"Every terrorist organization has its own internet web site" to propagate
it, recruit manpower, purchase firearms and even sell children for sexual
purposes, Kendall said.
South Korean President Kim Dae-Jung backed the call for a crackdown on cyber
crime.
"I hope Interpol will come up with effective ways to root out computer
crimes," he said in a speech read out by Prime Minister Kim Jong-Pil.
"In cyberspace, serious sophisticated crimes like swindling, embezzlement
and money laundering are being committed all the time and often traces are
covered up or erased instantly, making the police unable to track them."
High on the meeting's agenda will be how to tackle increasingly
sophisticated global crimes, including illegal trafficking of drugs,
cultural artifacts and even humans, the organizers said.
Delegates are expected to adopt a declaration calling for greater
cooperation worldwide in fighting global crimes, they added.
Interpol, the successor to the International Criminal Police Commission
(ICPC) set up in 1923 in Vienna, aims to ensure and promote mutual
assistance between the world's anti-criminal authorities.
Among its key goals is to track down and deport fugitives as well as the
exchange of data and information on international crimes.
The organization has been headquartered in Lyons, France, since 1989 with
178 member states as of November this year.
During its Seoul conference, Interpol plans to elect five of 13 executive
members and decide on venues for the 2000 and 2001 general assemblies.
Source: Agence France Press
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