MANDALAY MYANMAR, Sunday 10 Nov 2013 – The ASEAN Chiefs of Army (COA) gathered in Mandalay, Myanmar in conjunction with the 14th ASEAN Chiefs of Army Multilateral Meeting(ACAMM) 2013. The Royal Brunei Land Forces was represented by Brigadier General Dato Seri Pahlawan Haji Yussof bin Haji Abdul Rahman. ‘Enhancing Asean Armies unity towards 2015 community’ is the theme of the meeting. Every COA presented their perspective in a more collaborative effort to support the unity amongst the Armies for the years to come.
The session was officiated by the Commander-in-Chief Defence Services Myanmar, Senior General Thayay Sithu. The Commander RBLF also had the opportunity to carry out bilateral meetings with Myanmar, Singapore and Malaysia. Amongst the discussions were to strengthen current ties and the avenue for future cooperations.
Whilst the 14th ACAMM was on going, spouses of the COAs were given a special programme and had the opportunity to understand the culture and visited the interesting places in Myanmar. In attendance was the The RBLF Commander’s wife Datin Hajah Masnunah Haji Ibrahim.
AARM
The 23rd Asean Army Rifles Meet 2013 (AARM) was held in Pyin Oo Lwin, Myanmar. Overall winner of the event was Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam in the sixth position. It was however a highlight for Brunei Darussalam, after 23 years of its inception the RBLF has managed to attain a gold medal. This medal was attained by the gun or GPMG team which also managed to break the previous record. In the other categories the Brunei team has also improved from their previous attainments.
ASMAM
The 3rd Asean Sergeant Major Annual Meeting (ASMAM) 2013 is also concurrently held in Pyin Oo Lwin, Myanmar. Representing the RBLF the Land Force Sergeant Major (LFSM) WO1 Ahmad bin Haji Abdul Kadir and WO1 Abdul Rahim bin Abdul Razak. This gathering of the ASEAN Army Senior Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs) is an initiative to enhance cooperation amongst the NCOs through dialogues and discussions.
AARM, ACAMM and ASMAM are annual events of the ASEAN Armies, which is rotated by the ASEAN countries to host, and next year it will be hosted by Vietnam.
