Koppasus soldiers evacuate a grandmother who refuses to leave his home during the eruption of Mount Merapi last year. (Photo: Getty Images)March 29, 2011, Jakarta - (TEMPO Interactive): Director General of the strength of Defense (Kuathan) Ministry of Defence, Rear Admiral Mochammad Jurianto said, humanitarian aid and disaster relief became the main focus of the workshop the use of military assets of ASEAN, which opened today, Tuesday, 29 March 2011.
"Humanitarian assistance and natural disasters are part of a military operation," said Jurianto when opening the workshop at the Sultan Hotel, Jakarta.
The workshop which had held second time is a continuation of the Paper on the Use of Military Assets and Capacities of ASEAN. The main agenda will be discussion in this workshop to establish a Joint Coordinating Committee or JCC, determine the main tasks, structure, and leadership.
Natural disasters that often occur in the ASEAN region to be one factor driving the formation of the JCC. In the future, if there is an ASEAN member countries hit by natural disasters or in need of humanitarian assistance, the JCC will be facilitated by the use of military assets ASEAN involving civilians.
Jurianto also stressed that the implementation of the use of military assets in disaster-affected countries still have to respect the sovereignty of the country concerned. "The account must also respect human rights and should not be discrimination," said Jurianto
He added that the results of this workshop will be brought to the level of the ASEAN Defence Senior Officers Meeting on April 26 to 29 2011mendatang which will be held in Yogyakarta. "In the future there will be a political decision at the ASEAN Defence Minister's Meeting," said Jurianto.
