Cambodia Hosts Forum On Mekong Regional Disaster Management

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

PHNOM PENH, Oct 15 (Bernama) -- The senior officials from countries along Mekong River including Cambodia, China, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand on Thursday gathered here to attend the Mekong Regional Forum on legal preparedness, regional arrangement for disaster, and communicable disease emergencies, China's Xinhua news agency reported.

"We have to set up a regional law which has similar tools to work together in fields of disaster management and communicable diseases," Nhim Vanda, senior minister and first deputy president of the National Disaster Management Committee (NDMC) of Cambodia said at the forum.

Cambodia will approve a law of disaster management soon, he said. Cambodia already signed on the Asean law on disaster Management in 2005 to work with international partners for exchange information and help on the natural disasters and other risks for people, he added.

"The legal preparedness will ensure the national laws and policies to facilitate fast mobilisation and respond to disaster respond and communicable disease emergencies," he said, calling to have good coordination and information exchange between different partners -- local, national and international.

Nhim Vanda also said that before departure for his visit to China this morning, "Prime Minister Hun Sen asked me to convey some words to forum that we have to enhance efforts to have a regional law on disaster management for serving mutual benefits and enhance cooperation."

Cambodia and the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) will work together to host international conference on disaster management in future.

"Having good laws and systems in place will help us to get the right information to right place at the right time after a disaster," Pum Chantinie, secretary of general of the Cambodian Red Cross said.

At the same time, Stephane Rousseau, regional coordinator of ADB said that all members need to work like football team to succeed in region and rescue the victims from the disasters timely.

This event is supported from Cambodian Red Cross, Asia Development Bank (ADB), and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent societies and NDMC.

"Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam are among the countries through which the Mekong River flows," creating fertile land in what is known as the "rice bowl" of the region, according to the press release of the meeting.

Unfortunately, this region is also prone to flash flooding and droughts, which occur on an annual basis, running valuable crops as well as lives, it added.

-- BERNAMA