PETALING JAYA: Malaysia and Indonesia have agreed to establish inter-agency cooperation to address online child safety issues, with plans to involve Singapore in the collaboration.
Communications minister Fahmi Fadzil said online safety, particularly for children, was an important issue requiring the collective attention of countries in the region.
“We are working towards holding a trilateral meeting involving Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore in December, God willing, if schedules permit,” he was quoted as saying by Bernama after a bilateral meeting with his Indonesian counterpart Meutya Hafid in Bali today.
Fahmi said although Asean countries have different laws and practices, the initiative could encourage other countries in the region to participate.
“We not only have aligned policies, but may also have several similar mechanisms, although they may not be exactly the same,” he said.
Fahmi also welcomed Meutya's intention to strengthen cooperation between the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and Indonesia's communication and digital affairs ministry.
He said MCMC's experience in handling public complaints related to social media could also be useful to the Indonesian authorities.
Separately, Singapore's digital development and information minister Josephine Teo said she and Fahmi had exchanged views on developments in their respective telecommunications sectors during an impromptu meeting at Ngurah Rai International Airport on Monday.
In a post on her official social media account, Teo said she happened to meet Fahmi, who had just arrived in Bali, while she was waiting for her flight back to Singapore after attending Bali Tech Week 2026.
She said discussions included quantum-safe communications, as well as online safety for children and young people. Teo also expressed hope that she would host Fahmi in Singapore in the near future.
Fahmi is in Bali at the invitation of the organisers to deliver a keynote address at Bali Tech Week.
He was accompanied by MCMC deputy managing director (regulatory) Sulaiman Sultan Suhaibudden and first secretary (economics) at the Malaysian embassy in Jakarta, Fakhrul Arifin Zulkifly.