Thai PM urges for ASEAN-SKorean cooperation on new forms of threats

BUSAN, SOUTH KOREA, December 12 (TNA) - Thai Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-ocha has called on expanded cooperation by member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and South Korea for new forms of threats, especially natural disasters and outbreaks of emerging and deadly diseases, such as Ebola. In his speech, entitled "Discussion on Non-Traditional Security Issues", delivered on Friday during the second phase of the ASEAN-Republic of Korea (ROK) Commemorative Summit 2014, held in the South Korean Busan City from December 10-12, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of ASEAN-South Korea relations, the Thai prime minister proposed that ASEAN and South Korea also step up cooperation in other fields, including preventing and solving new forms of security threats resulting from advance technologies and expanding regional connectivity, apart from trade and investment. The Thai prime minister acknowledged that such the new forms of security threats include transnational crime, human and drug trafficking and any outbreak of emerging and deadly diseases, such as the Ebola virus. Thanking all countries which send representatives to attend the ASEAN+3 Health Ministers Meeting on Ebola, to be held in Bangkok on December 15, 2014, the Thai prime minister said he hopes next Monday's regional meeting should lead to expanded and strengthened cooperation to fight against emerging diseases for public beneftis. The Thai premier also pointed out that impacts from climate change and disasters in Asia, both natural and man-made ones, namely storms, flooding, smog or any oil leak in the sea, have become more frequent and severe, affecting regional economic development and causing losses to the environment, as well as people’s lives and property. The Thai leader called for South Korea, which is known to have advance technologies, innovations and know-how to cope with such the problems, to cooperate more closely with ASEAN, through technological transfer, training and other forms of assistance. The Thai prime minister noted that, realising the threats, Thailand and the United Nations jointly sponsored the 6th Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Bangkok in June, 2014; while supporting Japan to host the 3rd UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in 2015 and South Korea to host the 7th World Water Forum, also in 2015. Besides, the Thai prime minister called on ASEAN and South Korea's cooperation on the management and conservation of regional forests, citing that 15 per cent of combined areas in ASEAN are covered with tropical forests which help trigger rain and become water resources. According to the Thai leader, the establishment of the Asian Forest Cooperation Organisation (AFoCO) is appreciable, reflecting a joint determination to solve the problems of climate change, or global warming, and drought, based on the UN Convention on geographical changes. The Thai prime minister and other ASEAN leaders are attending the three-day ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit 2014 in Busan, which ends later in the day. (TNA)