Chief Justice Dato Seri Paduka Steven Chong led a delegation of judges and judicial officers from the Supreme Court of Brunei Darussalam to the 13th Meeting of the Council of ASEAN Chief Justices (CACJ), held in Bangkok, Thailand, from July 21 to 23.
The meeting, hosted by the President of the Supreme Court of the Kingdom of Thailand, Adisak Tantiwong, brought together Chief Justices and Heads of Delegation from ASEAN member states to discuss judicial cooperation and emerging challenges facing the region’s courts.
During the opening session on July 22, Chief Justice Dato Seri Paduka Chong reaffirmed Brunei Darussalam’s commitment to strengthening the rule of law and enhancing judicial collaboration across ASEAN.
In his address, he highlighted how rapid technological and societal developments, including artificial intelligence, digital assets and climate-related disputes, are reshaping the administration of justice. He noted that the CACJ has responded through initiatives on court technology and AI governance, the expansion of the CACJ E-Learning Portal, and greater regional dialogue on climate justice and digital assets.
The Chief Justice also stressed that people remain at the centre of the justice system, underscoring the importance of judicial education and training, judicial wellbeing, victim-sensitive adjudication in trafficking in persons cases, and therapeutic justice. He said these initiatives help ensure justice is delivered with dignity, fairness and compassion while strengthening judicial capacity throughout the region.
He further reflected on Brunei Darussalam’s hosting of the Second ASEAN Multilateral Judicial Knowledge Exchange on Victim-Sensitive Adjudication of Trafficking in Persons Cases earlier this year, describing it as an example of meaningful judicial cooperation through the exchange of knowledge, experiences and best practices among ASEAN judiciaries.
During the meeting, the ASEAN Chief Justices received updates on the progress and future work of the CACJ’s various working groups and special interest groups, covering judicial education and training, civil proceedings, case management and court technology, the ASEAN Judiciaries Portal, cross-border disputes involving children, ASEAN+ engagements, videoconferencing hearings, climate justice, insolvency, intellectual property, and digital and virtual assets.
On the sidelines of the meeting, the Chief Justice held a bilateral meeting with Singapore Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon and senior members of the Singapore Judiciary, where both sides reaffirmed the longstanding ties between their judiciaries and their shared commitment to closer judicial cooperation.
The Brunei delegation also participated in the ASEAN Insolvency Judges Meeting, the ASEAN Insolvency Judges and Practitioners Meeting, and the ASEAN Intellectual Property Judges and Practitioners Meeting.
The meeting concluded with the signing of the Bangkok Declaration by the ASEAN Chief Justices and Heads of Delegation, reaffirming their commitment to strengthening judicial cooperation and advancing the administration of justice across the ASEAN region.