Australia and Thailand celebrate 20 years of peacekeeping cooperation
21 May 2018
Australia and Thailand are co-hosting the 10th biennial peacekeeping exercise PIRAP JABIRU involving more than 100 participants from 20 countries in the Indo–Pacific region from 21 May – 1 June 2018 in Bangsaen, Thailand.
The Vice Chief of the Defence Force, Vice Admiral Ray Griggs, was in Thailand to open PIRAP JABIRU 2018 alongside his co-chair, Royal Thai Armed Forces Chief of Joint Staff, General Pornpipaat Benyasri. Vice Admiral Griggs said the exercise was a fantastic opportunity to bring together representatives from across our region and beyond.
“During the next two weeks, members from militaries, police forces, government and non-governmental organisations will be working together to consider the current issues facing peacekeepers, and identify strategies to meet the complex challenges of participating in future peace operations,” Vice Admiral Griggs said.
“It is an excellent opportunity for participants to develop networks and establish relationships with many of our regional neighbours, improve professional knowledge, and gain a greater cultural understanding of the military and police forces in our region.”
Participants will be tested by realistic scenario-based problems that reflect contemporary UN peace operations. This includes how to protect vulnerable populations such as women and children, understanding peacekeepers’ rights and obligations under international and domestic law, and how to sustain logistics support in often austere environments.
“Participants will work together to develop comprehensive approaches to these problems.”
The PIRAP JABIRU biennial exercise series, which commenced in 1998, reflects Australia’s close bilateral ties with Thailand, including a strong history of peacekeeping cooperation.
“Thailand is a very important security partner for Australia. We share similar approaches to regional security and a long history of cooperation, including in recent operations in Timor-Leste, the Gulf of Aden and operations in Sudan and South Sudan,” Vice Admiral Griggs said.
This year marks the 71st anniversary of Australia’s first contribution to UN peacekeeping missions, including in Korea, Lebanon, Cyprus, Cambodia, Rwanda, Timor-Leste, Sudan and South Sudan.
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