The ‘67th/2023 SEAEX THAMAL’ exercises, officially tabled as from July 15-21, were held in the waters along the Thai Andaman coast, with six ships taking part.
Representing Thailand were the Hua Hin class HTMS Klaeng, Patrol Gun Boat Tor 886 of the the THAI-MECC (Thai Maritime Enforcement Command Center) unit stationed at Cape Panwa and the Thai Marine Police patrol boat 809.
Taking part in the exercises on behalf of Malaysia were the Kedah-class offshore patrol vessel KD Terengganu, the fast response vessel KD Perkasa of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency and patrol Boat PA 50 of the Malaysian Marine Police.
The crews on board the vessels conducted a series of exercises to simulate responding to illegal activities on the water, including smuggling of illegal goods, illegal fishing, illegal immigration, drugs, human trafficking and piracy, among others.
Vice Admiral Arpakorn Yukongkaew, Commander of the 3rd Naval Region and Admiral Roslee Bin Mohamad Isa, Commander of the 3rd Naval Region (Langkawi) together co-chaired the closing ceremony of the 67th/2023 SEAEX THAMAL yesterday.
The aim of the exercises was to facilitate and improve coordination among the agencies taking part to increase efficiency in the prevention and deterrence of maritime offenses, said an official report of the closing ceremony.
“The SEAEX THAMAL exercise is regarded as a cooperative mechanism between the Thai-Malaysian maritime security agencies to coordinate operations between the operational units at the area level. cause cooperation trust and good relations which will be useful in solving problems at the local level quickly and reduce conflicts which is in accordance with the policy of the Navy Commander,” the report said.
The exercises were conducted with important training principles, including the exchange of information, search of suspicious ships, rescue victims at sea and joint operations in law enforcement.
The SEAEX THAMAL exercises have been held between Thailand and Malaysia every year since 1979. The exercises are held in two parts: one in the Gulf of Thailand (Narathiwat - Kelantan), the other along the Andaman coast (Satun-Perlis).