NONTHABURI, THAILAND, Monday 17 August 2015 – Representatives from all the 10 member states of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), ASEAN Secretariat, and ASEAN Coordination Centre for Humanitarian Assistance for Disaster Management (AHA Centre) gathered here today for a meeting on ASEAN Military Preparedness on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), held at the Buddy Oriental Riverside Pakkred Hotel.
The meeting aims to enhance collaboration among the ASEAN Armed Forces in HADR operations and ensure their readiness in HADR response, as well as preparing towards becoming ASEAN Community.
The meeting convened with a welcoming remark by General Chatchalerm Chalermsukh, Chief of Staff, Royal Thai Army, in which he acknowledged the complexity of disaster in recent years that has caused casualties and major destruction to the infrastructure and property. This, General Chatchalerm added, requires more equipment and involvement of expertise in HADR operations. He underscores the importance for the ASEAN Armed Forces to have Standard Operating Procedures to facilitate HADR joint operations and collectively increase their assets and capabilities. He summed up with the hope that the objectives of the meeting will be accomplished and that the relationships among the ASEAN Armed Forces and ASEAN member states will be further strengthened and continue to prosper.
Representing Brunei Darussalam at the meeting were senior officials from the Ministry of Defence, and the Brunei Darussalam’s head of delegate also presented a topic on the Establishment of Logistics Support Framework during the plenary session.
The plenary session also heard presentations from the representatives of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), AHA Centre, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.