Royal Thai Navy hosts ASEAN naval chiefs meeting
By Digital Content



BANGKOK: -- One outcome of the meeting is a planned ASEAN force for humanitarian missions.

Thailand's Defence Forces chief Gen Thanasak Patimaprakorn presided over the opening ceremony at a Bangkok hotel.

Naval chiefs of nine ASEAN members namely Thailand, Brunei, Indonesia, Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam attended the gathering. The Lao PDR, being land-locked, does not have a navy, although it has a Mekong River patrol force.

Thai Navy commander-in-chief Adm Narong Pipatanasai discussed ongoing and future cooperation among naval forces in the region and regional marine security.

The meeting also focused on the role of ASEAN naval forces after the formation of the ASEAN Community in 2015.

The roles are expected to respond to international cooperation in the region next year.

Gen Thanasak said that one goal of the meeting was to form the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) force that would offer humanitarian assistance and disaster relief services.

It will be a kind of peace-keeping force and integrate the capabilities of countries in the region.

The ASEAN regional force could provide emergency aid to other regions, he said. (MCOT online news)


-- TNA 2014-08-27

I might be shot down for saying this, but I think some countries would be better off not getting involved with Thailand. I'm also a little confused, on one hand we are told it will be a "Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) force", one the other a "kind of peace-keeping force."

The probability that the Naval Chiefs of countries like Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia will come with good feelings about host country Thailand must be very low, considering the neo-imperialist policy from China they are confronted with in the South China sea, and the more and more openly shown pro-Chinese stance from Thailand... ASEAN...

Thailand will host, teach and instruct. ASEAN is safe, y'all.

Gosh knows that the Thailand military has a lot of experience to share on how to use military coups to keep the peace. The Thai Navy can also share its expertise in monitoring and intercepting human trafficking as well.