Also at the meeting were members of the Thai Police Foreign Affairs Division, along with representatives from Interpol. Pol Lt Gen Panya Mamen, Commissioner of Police Region 8 was in the chair for the opening session.
Ian Rotsey, Head of Interpol’s Chemical and Explosives Terrorism Prevention Unit, explained that nowadays chemical weapon attacks and bombs are popular among terrorists because of their potential for large-scale death and destruction.
He said that the meeting would not be talking about any one terrorist group in particular. “This meeting is to discuss how to prevent such terrorist acts from happening or, if such an act takes place, how to to mitigate the damage.”
Apart from Thailand the countries represented by law enforcement officers at the talks are Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines and Vietnam.
The meeting will look for ways that countries in Southeast Asia can support each other through policy, law, and appropriate actions. These ways will include both government and private sectors.