Brunei Darussalam and Malaysia’s disaster management agencies are looking at potentially conducting joint exercises involving their fire and rescue personnel.
Director of the National Disaster Management Centre Colonel (Rtd) Muhd Harrith Rashidi bin Haji Muhd Jamin said the centre and Malaysia’s National Disaster Management Agency had stated that joint-drills were on the agenda of the second bilateral meeting between the two agencies yesterday.
The centre is also looking for Malaysia’s support in carrying out scoping for national urban search and rescue, said the director.
The director congratulated the Malaysian government on the success during its search and rescue mission in Turkiye in February, adding that it reflected Malaysia’s ability in humanitarian assistance.
He said the team in Turkiye rescued and evacuated victims who were trapped for seven days under the rubble.
Director General of Malaysia’s National Disaster Management Agency Khairul Shahril bin Idrus said as the two nations share a border, it was important for the two agencies to forge further cooperation and implement joint projects in the field of disaster management. The first bilateral meeting took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia last year.
The bilateral meetings are part of a memorandum of understanding between the two countries to improve disaster cooperation.
Yesterday, the Malaysian director-general also made a courtesy call on Permanent Secretary (Safety and Welfare) at the Ministry of Home Affairs Salminan bin Haji Burut. – James Kon
