ASEAN Meteorology and Geophysics Experts Meet in Jakarta

1. Cooperation programs focusing on climate change and weather, seasonal climate prediction, earthquake monitoring and other areas of meteorology and geophysics were reviewed by ASEAN experts in these fields, including top officials of the national meteorological and seismological agencies of the ASEAN member countries, during the 23rd Meeting of the ASEAN Sub-Committee on Meteorology and Geophysics (ASCMG) in Jakarta, Indonesia on 28 August to 1 September 2000.
   
   

2. The ASCMG Meeting was officially opened by Mr. Anwar Supriadi, the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Communications of Indonesia. In his Opening Address, the Secretary-General expressed his appreciation of the significant progress made by the ASCMG through the implementation of its cooperation programs and its contributions to the solution of regional problems such as transboundary haze. "I am confident that this Meeting would come up with positive solutions to many common problems among ASEAN countries," he said.
   
   

3. The Meeting was attended by delegates from Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam. Representatives from the ASEAN Secretariat and guests from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and Bureau of Meteorology Australia were also in attendance. The WMO and Australia have been long-time cooperation partners of ASCMG.
   
   

4. Indonesia, as host country, was well-represented by a full force of experts coming from the Meteorological and Geophysical Agency (BMG), Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT), National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN), Coordinating Agency for National Survey and Mapping (BAKOSURTANAL), Directorate Vulcanology of Department of Mining and Energy, Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Communications and the Research and Development Center for Oil and Gas Technology (LEMIGAS). The delegation was headed by Mr. Sri Diharto, Director-General of BMG who also delivered the Welcoming Address.
   
   

5. Among the achievements of the ASCMG reported during the Meeting is the establishment of an Internet-based network for the rapid exchange of strong earthquake data among the ASEAN member countries. The network is capable of disseminating information on the occurrence of earthquakes whose magnitudes are greater than 5.5 on the Richter scale, and transmitting the Richter scale, and transmitting the information to ASEAN member countries within an hour of its occurrence. The system can also analyze the data for possible tsunami threats arising from the strong earthquake. It can therefore contribute to efforts in disaster mitigation, especially those from tsunamis.
   
   

6. The project was pursued by the ASCMG with funding support from Japan. It will continue its operations as the ASEAN Earthquake Information Center (AEIC) under the management of the Indonesian Meteorological and Geophysical Agency (BMG). More information about the AEIC can be obtained from its website at http://aeic.bmg.go.id.
   
   

7. The ASCMG Meeting also reported the continuous progress of the ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC). The ASMC is a regional centre established by the ASCMG in 1993 and is co-located at the Singapore Meteorological Service. It has since developed into an effective institution providing invaluable research and training facilities and meteorological products and services to ASEAN member countries.
   
   

8. Among these services are the support ASMC renders to the ASEAN Regional Haze Action Plan by way of detecting hot spots and smoke through satellite images and predicting the flow of haze. It also provides regular reports on the regional seasonal climate forecast to the relevant Environment officials of the haze-affected countries, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam and Singapore.
   
   

9. Scientific and technical papers on various topics were also presented at the Meeting. Among those evoking great interest are the papers on the impact of El Nino and La Nina phenomena on the ASEAN region, and the reports on rare and unusual weather occurrences such as extremely cold weather in parts of Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam and extreme flooding in Viet Nam that had been observed in the past year. The information from such scientific and technical reports will be useful in helping policy-makers develop social and economic programs that will appropriately address the adverse effects of meteorological events such as El Nino and La Nina.
   
   

10. The ASCMG also prepared its plans for future cooperation activities. High on their agenda for the next five years is the improvement of their forecasting services for meteorology and early warning systems for the mitigation of natural disasters caused by meteorological and geophysical disturbances, such as flooding, drought and earthquakes. The ASCMG will also promote more intensive use of information technology to modernize their services. Research and development, training courses and exchange programs will continue to be organized to accelerate the development of technical expertise.
    
    

11. The Chairman of ASCMG, Haji Abdul Kadir bin Tengah of Brunei Darussalam, expressed satisfaction at the conclusion of the Meeting that it had met all its objectives.
    
    

12. The ASCMG is a Sub-Committee under the ASEAN Committee on Science and Technology. It regularly meets once a year, with ASEAN member countries taking turns at hosting the meeting. The next meeting will be hosted by Myanmar in either August or November 2001.