New threats, old methods won’t do: Khaled urges Asean to step up disaster readiness

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 28 — Malaysia has called for a stronger, more coordinated and effective regional disaster response capability among Asean member states to address increasingly complex and interconnected threats facing the region.

Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said no Asean member state, regardless of its resources, could address these challenges entirely on its own, underscoring the need for closer regional cooperation and collective preparedness.

“In this regard, Malaysia believes that Asean must work towards building a stronger, more coordinated and effective regional disaster response capability,” he said in his opening remarks at the 20th Asean Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM), being held in Cebu, the Philippines, today and tomorrow.

The text of his speech was made available to Bernama.

He said non-traditional threats were no longer distant possibilities but had become real, recurring and increasingly difficult to ignore, requiring Asean to strengthen its ability to prevent, prepare for and respond to crises.

Mohamed Khaled said the response must begin with more proactive and coordinated initiatives to strengthen communities’ ability to prepare for, withstand and recover from such shocks.

He also stressed the importance of developing strong local and regional capacity to ensure an effective response when disasters strike.

Malaysia’s call builds on existing regional mechanisms, including the Asean Militaries Ready Group on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (AMRG on HADR), which provides a framework for coordinating military assistance and facilitating the deployment of military assets to disaster-affected areas.

Mohamed Khaled cited Asean’s response to the earthquake in Myanmar last year as an example of the mechanism’s role in regional disaster relief efforts.

“We must now build upon these foundations to strengthen operational readiness, improve coordination and ensure that our armed forces can respond swiftly and effectively when disasters strike,” he said.

He said the need for stronger cooperation extended beyond disaster response, as Asean faced greater strategic competition, uncertainty and rapidly evolving security threats.

“As the ADMM enters its third decade, we must be prepared to do more than confront new threats with old approaches,” he said.

Mohamed Khaled said greater collective preparedness, stronger coordination and sustained investment in capabilities were necessary to ensure defence cooperation delivered tangible benefits to the people.

He said Asean’s peace and stability should never be taken for granted, adding that the region’s strength rested on mutual trust, constructive management of differences and a shared commitment to regional interests.

“Malaysia remains firmly committed to strengthening the ADMM, upholding Asean Centrality, and building a more secure and resilient regional community,” he said, adding that ADMM has become an important platform for practical defence cooperation, confidence-building and collective responses to shared security challenges. — Bernama

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吉隆坡，10月28日——马来西亚呼吁东盟成员国建立更强大、更协调、更有效的区域灾害应对能力，以应对该地区日益复杂和相互关联的威胁。

国防部长拿督斯里穆罕默德·卡立·诺丁表示，没有哪个东盟成员国，无论其资源如何，能够完全独自应对这些挑战，这凸显了加强区域合作和集体准备的必要性。

“在这方面，马来西亚认为东盟必须努力建立更强大、更协调、更有效的区域灾害应对能力，”他在今天和明天在菲律宾宿务举行的第20届东盟国防部长会议（ADMM）开幕致辞中说道。

他的演讲稿已提供给马新社。

他表示，非传统威胁不再是遥远的可能性，而是已经变得真实、反复出现且越来越难以忽视，这要求东盟加强其预防、准备和应对危机的能力。

穆罕默德·哈立德表示，应对措施必须从更加积极主动和协调一致的举措开始，以增强社区应对、抵御和从此类冲击中恢复的能力。

他还强调了发展强大的地方和区域能力的重要性，以确保在灾害发生时能够做出有效应对。

马来西亚的呼吁建立在现有的区域机制之上，包括东盟人道主义援助和救灾军事小组（AMRG on HADR），该小组为协调军事援助和促进向受灾地区部署军事资产提供了框架。

穆罕默德·哈立德以东盟去年对缅甸地震的应对为例，说明了该机制在区域救灾工作中的作用。

他说：“我们现在必须在此基础上加强作战准备，提高协调能力，确保我们的武装部队在灾难发生时能够迅速有效地做出反应。”

他表示，加强合作的必要性不仅限于应对灾害，因为东盟面临着更大的战略竞争、不确定性和快速演变的安全威胁。

他说：“随着东盟防长会议进入第三个十年，我们必须做好准备，不能再用旧方法应对新的威胁了。”

穆罕默德·哈立德表示，要确保国防合作为人民带来切实利益，就必须加强集体准备、强化协调并持续投资于能力建设。

他表示，东盟的和平与稳定绝非理所当然，并补充说，该地区的强大建立在互信、建设性地管控分歧以及对地区利益的共同承诺之上。

“马来西亚坚定致力于加强东盟防长会议，维护东盟中心地位，并建设一个更加安全、更具韧性的区域共同体，”他表示，并补充说，东盟防长会议已成为开展务实防务合作、建立信任以及共同应对共同安全挑战的重要平台。——马新社

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