OPENING CEREMONY OF ADMM PLUS HADR & MM EX
MUARA, Monday 17 June 2013 – The opening ceremony of the inaugural ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief and Military Medicine Exercise (ADMM PLUS HADR & MM Ex) HADR & MM Ex was held today at Multi National Coordination Centre (MNCC) which marks the official start of the exercise.
The opening ceremony was officiated by Major General Dato Paduka Seri Haji Aminuddin Ihsan bin Pehin Orang Kaya Saiful Mulok Dato Seri Paduka Haji Abidin, the Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces. Present to witness the officiating ceremony were the senior officials and personnel from all the participating countries.
During the opening ceremony, the Commander of RBAF activated the button which showcased a video montage that included a brief history of ADMM and ADMM- Plus, the arrival of the troops, exercise preparation and Force Integration Training (FIT). The ceremony concluded with a group photo session.
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TYPHOON `SIMPUR' CAUSES A NATION-WIDE DISASTER
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Monday 17 June 2013 – A Tropical Revolving Storm (TRS) Typhoon “SIMPUR”, which was reported to be 100km North East of Brunei Darussalam heading West-South-West, moving at 110km/h. The wind speed was reported to have strengthened to 135km/h. As a result, Brunei Darussalam was battered and life came to a standstill by weeks of heavy rainfall. The worst hit area was TEMBURONG District, which had a recorded 50mm of rainfall in an hour. The storm had caused flash floods and mudslides throughout the country. Most areas affected are remote villages and populated areas located near major rivers.
Local Emergency Response Aid Team (ERAT) in all districts managed to conduct surveys onto the affected areas. The aftermath of Typhoon “SIMPUR” left vast population stranded and displaced, large numbers of death and missing reported, lines of communication disrupted (flooded roads and collapsed bridges), loss of power, food shortages and clean water in affected areas, isolated areas due to communication loss, large numbers of dead livestock leading to an imminent spread of diseases, damaged infrastructures particularly in remote areas emanating from strong winds and mudslides.
Local ERAT cannot cope with the magnitude of the disaster. Brunei Darussalam’s National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) had requested support from neighbouring countries and International Bodies through ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre). This is the broad exercise storyboard for the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM Plus) Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief and Military Medicine (HADR & MM) Exercise that is currently taking place in Brunei Darussalam commencing 17 June until 20 June 2013.
For the start of the exercise, the theme for today’s scenario is initiation of incidents and establishment of Needs Assessment Surveillance Team (NAST) and initial response. Early this morning, the breaking news reported two separate incidents at Kampong Biang and Kampung Mentiri. At Kampung Biang, the river had burst due to heavy rainfall and the village has been flooded, preventing all access into the village except via air. Number of casualties at the site remains unknown with many villagers believed to be trapped in their flooded houses and huts.
Meanwhile, at Kampung Mentiri, the news reported that a building had collapsed in the area due to soil erosion. The number of civilians injured and trapped under the rubbles remained unknown, and access to the site is impossible due to damage axes.
Assistance request has been forwarded to Multi-National Coordination Centre (MNCC) for immediate response. This was the first tasked given to the MNCC, prompting it to urgently assess the situation, plan and execute their response. The expected deployment of participating countries for this exercise scenario are in the form of search and rescue, helicopter support and evacuation, medical assistance, as well as humanitarian aids and supplies. All the decision making process and initial responses made by MNCC will be monitored and scrutinized closely by the Exercise Controller (EXCON).
This is the first day of the ADMM-Plus multinational joint exercise. More HADR and medical tasking will be injected in the next three days. Members of the public residing in the vicinity of the exercise sites are advised not be alarmed by the influx of local and foreign military personnel as well as the movement of military vehicle convoys and air or naval assets. The Ministry of Defence also advises members of the public to refrain from entering the exercise sites for safety and security reasons. The Ministry of Defence also assures that inconveniences to the public will be minimized and controlled. In this respect, the Ministry of Defence seeks the continued support and understanding of local residents in ensuring the successful conduct of this inaugural multi-national field exercise.