ASEAN Disaster-Management Centre Officially Inaugurated

Asean disaster-management centre officially inaugurated

Supalak Ganjanakhundee,

Kittipong Thavevong

The Nation

Bali, Indonesia

Asean yesterday inaugurated its Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre) to alleviate the flood disaster in the region.

The pact to set up and run the AHA Centre is part of an initiative pushed by Thailand to forge cooperation within the 10-member group to handle natural disasters, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said.

The initiative will link Thailand's efforts with those in neighbouring countries, which are in the same boat, she added.

"Since the global climate is changing, neighbouring countries such as Laos and Vietnam are also facing similar disasters, so we have to prepare for the future together," Yingluck told reporters in Bali.

The Jakarta-based AHA Centre, with an office in every member country, will be responsible for relief assistance at times of natural disasters, Asean secretary-general Surin Pitsuwan said.

A separate statement from Asean leaders issued yesterday said the group would enhance cooperation in disaster-risk management and mitigation as well as in post-disaster relief, recovery and rehabilitation.

Extra powers

The Asean secretary-general's role in utilising all mechanisms and instruments available to the grouping has also been boosted. This is in addition to the decision made at the February 2009 Asean Defence Ministers' Meeting in Pattaya, allowing the secretary-general to use Asean's military assets in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

"This reflects Asean's effort to use every measure available to help one another," Surin said.

In a chairman's statement, Asean expressed sympathy to countries and people who have lost members of their family and sustained social, economic as well as environmental damage because of flooding over the past several months. The affected countries are Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

Yingluck brought up the issue of the flood disaster in Thailand, which has killed more than 560 people and displaced millions of others, at the Asean summit in a bid to boost international confidence in her administration's ability.

"I would like to take this opportunity to tell the international community and foreign investors about our plan to rehabilitate and recover the economy from the disaster," Yingluck said.

Officials at the meeting said Yingluck had made a good impression at her first international forum and had garnered a lot of support from her Asean counterparts.

-- The Nation 2011-11-18