Externalization of Border Control in ASEAN Countries

This chapter investigates the evolution of border externalization within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries based on three case studies: the Malay Peninsular subregion, the BIMG-EAGA subregion, and the Sulu-Sulawesi Seas. The investigation is guided by two research questions: (1) How do Malaysia and its neighboring ASEAN states secure their borders through the strategy of border externalization? (2) What are the implications of border externalization to ASEAN border control? The implementation of border externalization is facilitated by a range of multilateral initiatives, including, but not limited to, the Sulu Sea Patrol Initiative (SSPI), Trilateral Maritime Patrol (TMP), Trilateral Air Patrol (TAP), MALSINDO, Malacca Straits Patrol (MSP), and Eyes in the Sky (EiS). A significant occurrence was reported in 2021 when the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime (AMMTC) formally adopted the ASEAN Border Management Cooperation Roadmap. The implementation of policy, consultative, and enforcement measures indicates the growing prevalence of regionalism and the process of ASEANization in the realm of border control, given the absence of an ASEAN border agency.