Asia nations set to form joint disaster task force
Friday, July 25, 2008
ASIA'S top security forum agreed yesterday on military exercises aimed at forging a regional task force to deal with calamities like those that struck Myanmar and China this year.
The Asean Regional Forum resolved two years ago to develop guidelines for joint disaster relief, but the confused response to the Myanmar cyclone showed up the fact that little has been done since then.
Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo said the meeting of the 27-nation security dialogue, which takes in the 10-member Southeast Asian bloc as well as the US, China and Russia, had gone "quite deep" into the issue.
He said that as well as endorsing a joint US-Philippines disaster exercise, the ministers had established procedures on deploying military resources and "even having designated forces in standby readiness".
AFP
The Asean Regional Forum resolved two years ago to develop guidelines for joint disaster relief, but the confused response to the Myanmar cyclone showed up the fact that little has been done since then.
Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo said the meeting of the 27-nation security dialogue, which takes in the 10-member Southeast Asian bloc as well as the US, China and Russia, had gone "quite deep" into the issue.
He said that as well as endorsing a joint US-Philippines disaster exercise, the ministers had established procedures on deploying military resources and "even having designated forces in standby readiness".
AFP
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