Malaysia Hopes AMRI Project Can Begin Before 2014

KUALA LUMPUR, March 1 (Bernama) -- Malaysia hopes three out of 17 projects agreed at the 11th Conference of the Asean Ministers Responsible for Information (AMRI), which will be led by Malaysia, will begin before the next AMRI conference in 2014, said Minister of Information, Communications and Culture Dr Rais Yatim. He said the projects would be implemented with cooperation from three Asean dialogue partners namely China, Japan and South Korea. "The three projects include the exchange of information officers, members of the media and certain trainings that we can participate in and benefit from the Asean dialogue partners, especially Japan and South Korea. "(South) Korea has expressed hope for the creative industry to be given more room (for development) and we are in the midst of ascertaining the suitable fields that could be ventured into and get all the training with the help of (South) Korea," he told reporters after the conference ended here Thursday. Rais, who chaired the conference, said the Asean secretariat would begin to list out the requirements for the projects in a few weeks. "We hope the matter could be throughly discussed for implementation by May this year," he said. Although the agencies to be involved in the exchange of information officers and members of the media can be ascertained from now, Rais said the time schedule time for the programmes had yet to be finalised. Meanwhile, commenting on cooperation in disaster response between Asean and its dialogue partners, Rais said Japan had requested Malaysia to pursue certain security arrangements which could be used for training purposes for the Asean states in the future. -- BERNAMA