an international conference on disaster management co-hosted by Asian Disaster and Preparedness Center, Human Development Forum Foundation, Thailand, Brunei Darussalam and the Republic of the Philippines

For detail information: http://www.adpc.net/CSO/

Background

1. With an ongoing situation in Haiti, we can clearly see that there is an urgent need for improvement of the coordination between the various Military Forces and the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) working on the ground. A lot of chaos and confusion could have been avoided if a proper framework of cooperation between Militaries and CSOs are in place. Unfortunately, this issue has often been neglected when it comes to discussion on disaster response and relief.

2. Recognising the importance of the cooperation between Defence Establishments and CSOs, ASEAN has taken the initial effort to look closely into this issue in the Southeast Asian region. The 1st Workshop on ‘ASEAN Defence Establishments and CSOs on Non-Traditional Security (Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief)’, co-hosted by Thailand and Malaysia took place on the 8th and 9th of June 2009, at Plaza Athenee in Bangkok, Thailand with the main aim to address various issues which were and potentially could have been faced by the ASEAN Defence Establishments and the CSOs when it came to working together for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

3. Over 200 representatives from the military and the CSOs from the ASEAN Member States attended this workshop and several challenges and areas for improvement were identified during the two-day event. The participants also suggested strategies and analysis to tackle the various issues faced during Disaster Management and a report was prepared to acknowledge the need for further action to improve the cooperation between ASEAN defence establishments and CSOs.

Against this backdrop Human Development Forum Foundation is proud to announce the 2nd international conference: ASEAN Defence Establishments and Civil Society Organisations Cooperation on Non-Traditional Security, Bangkok, June 27th- 30th

Another crucial aspect of the program was a field trip to South Tyrol, Italy to provide a firsthand example of autonomy. The participants were distinctive members of the Royal Thai Government involved directly or indirectly within the Southern Border Provinces. The participants were presented with legal and scientific framework of autonomy in South Tyrol by various fieldtrips around the region. Also introduced were practical implementations of a multilingual education system, historical developments and the media. Once back in Thailand, the participants were able to put their findings and experiences into action within their professions.

Finally, several key points regarding autonomy were found in the research for the Royal Thai Government. The first step was assessing the causation of conflict. This is apparent in historical circumstances giving way to the makeup of Thailand that introduced mistrust and anger between Southern Thailand society and the Central Thailand authorities.  Another contributing factor to the conflict is that the Thai military and Thai Buddhist majority do not view the Muslims in the south as Thai nationals. Ultimately, a permanent solution can only be found in the equal treatment of the Muslim community by the rest of the Thai population.

In 2007 HDFF in cooperation with the PSB Academy, Singapore conducted crises management training in Indonesia for vice president/senior management level based on the terrorism research results of HDFF. The participants were satisfied and implanted several steps of the introduced crisis management plan.

The workshop series was designed to increase the capabilities of the NLC/S representatives. These capabilities mainly included more effective leadership and communication skills in times of transformation of state system and civil society. More specifically, it would provide training in the NLC/S representatives’ appearance in the media, conflict resolution/negotiation, running meetings and building more effective teams.

Although leadership and communication were at the heart of the workshop, many of the workshop activities were also constructed to support creativity and innovation. Through a modern participatory approach it was apparent that implementing creativity can ultimately lead to progress of ideas within a country. In conclusion, these workshops were well received and the lessons learned can further be implemented throughout the NLC/S and Cambodia.

Watch us as part of the Royal News today on Channel 3, Channel 5 and PBS.

HDFF passed the best health blessings to HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej at Siriraj Hospital, Bangkok.

When You’re Not Here

When you are ill,
our sun goes under a cloud.
Your presence in our lives
is such a bright joy
that everything seems in shadow
when you’re not here.
When you aren’t feeling well,
we feel the lack
of your glowing energy
and contagious vitality.

We all pray that our King gets better soon!

[Show picture list]

• leadeship & teambuilding training for executive level
• language & computer training for teachers
• English Camps for students

Phuket Maritime Forum will provide the perfect opportunity to attract Asian and global awareness to maritime security issues as well as new sustainable technologies. The event will be held at Royal Phuket Marina, a truly stunning area of natural beauty and modern design on the east coast of Phuket.

HDFF's Phuket Maritime Forum

HDFF's Phuket Maritime Forum

China/ Maritime Security:  An excellent piece from StratFor on Chinese activities in East Timor and beyond.

Sours: www.stratfor.com”Dispatch: Chinese Influence Expands in South Pacific”