The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Office of the National Security Council and the Electronic Transactions Development Agency co-hosted the “Regional Workshop on Cybersecurity: Norms in Cyberspace” at the Office of the Electronic Transactions Development Agency in Bangkok during 19-20 December 2016.  The Workshop was aimed at raising awareness among ASEAN Member States as well as the relevant Thai agencies on the issues of norms and the application of international law to cyberspace. 

 

Technology has become indispensable to economic development and better social welfare.  However, some have exploited technology to commit fraud and malicious actions including cyber attacks and espionage.  These cyber threats, should they occur, could affect national security, cause damage to critical infrastructure and harm the economy. Given that cyber threats are transboundary, there have been attempts to set norms or rules and to apply international law to cyberspace with the view to preventing exploitation of cyberspace for criminal activities as well as unintentional conflicts between states. 

 

In this context, the two-day workshop brought experts working in the area of cyber security and norms to speak and exchange views with representatives from ASEAN Member States.  These included speakers from ICT for Peace Foundation and the Attorney-General’s Chambers of Singapore, as well as an international law expert from Thailand.  Moving forward, it is hoped that this workshop will serve a platform for further discussions among ASEAN Member States and enhance their role in contributing to the development of cyber-related norms that works for everyone and that also reflects values and interests upheld by ASEAN.