Malaysia will expand its disaster management cooperation with several countries including Japan, Russia, and South Korea to continuously enhance the professional capabilities of the Malaysian Special Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART).
The Director of the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA), Datuk Khairul Shahril, pointed out that discussions on finalizing memorandums of understanding with these countries are expected to be completed this year.
He said that the disaster management agency has been in talks with Japan to finalize the memorandum, while discussions with Russia and South Korea have entered the final stage. However, the final decision still needs to be reviewed by the Cabinet to ensure it aligns with national interests.
He said that the disaster management agency has been in talks with Japan to finalize the memorandum, while discussions with Russia and South Korea have entered the final stage. However, the final decision still needs to be reviewed by the Cabinet to ensure it aligns with national interests.
In an interview with Bernama, he stated that Malaysia has already signed memorandums of understanding with Singapore, Indonesia, and Turkey, indicating international recognition of Malaysia's disaster management capabilities and SMART's professional strength, particularly in search and rescue.
"From the perspective of cooperation, we consider these memorandums as an important component as they enable formal cooperation. At the same time, it's a form of recognition, showing that other countries also wish to learn from SMART's capabilities and expertise."
Khairul Shahril mentioned that the purpose of signing these memorandums is not only to strengthen strategic relationships but also to enhance disaster management efficiency through joint training with elite teams from other countries, especially in search and rescue operations.
He said, based on the experience of assisting in the search and rescue operation during the February 2023 earthquake in Gaziantep, Turkey, the government is studying the possibility of increasing the number of team members to ensure that SMART can operate effectively at all times.
He pointed out that currently, the number of SMART team members still meets the standards recommended by the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) for international rescue teams, which consists of two teams totaling 160 members.
SMART is composed of three major uniformed forces in Malaysia: the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department, the Royal Malaysia Police, and the Malaysian Armed Forces.
Khairul Shahril said that currently, when team members complete their service period, they return to their original units. Therefore, the government is studying the suggestion to retain these members within SMART.
He pointed out that the disaster management agency is discussing with the Public Service Department to find the best mechanism to ensure that the professional capabilities possessed by SMART members can be retained within the team.
At the regional level, he said, SMART has participated in several exercise projects organized by the ASEAN Secretariat and received requests from neighboring countries such as Brunei, Thailand, and Indonesia to serve as advisors to their rescue teams, assisting their teams in obtaining INSARAG certification.