Asian Transformations in Action - Api-fellowships.org

50 PERSISTENT PROBLEMS, PROMISING SOLUTIONS AND BENEFICENCEtasks or as assigned by the Ministry of Interior or theCabinet. 14The DDPM also has regional centers (i.e., DisasterPrevention and Mitigation Regional Centers) locatedin twelve cities and Disaster Prevention and MitigationProvincial Offices in 75 provinces nationwide.Other important bodies in Thailand’s disastermanagement are the National Civil Defense Committee(NCDC) and the National Safety Council of Thailand(NSCT). The NCDC coordinates all activities relevantto civil defence and disaster management and performsall functions relevant to disaster management atthe national level, while the NSCT is responsiblefor managing human-made disasters such as trafficaccidents, chemical accidents, occupational accidents,accidents in homes and public venues, fires and subwaytunnel construction accidents, as well as consideringmeasures to prevent fires in high-rise buildings andaccidents during subway tunnel construction andproviding safety education.According to a WCDR report (2006), Thailand isnow prioritizing some measures in its disaster riskmanagement, as follows: (1) public awareness andeducation; (2) early warning system; (3) internationaldisaster management; (4) effective damage assesment;(5) community-centered approach; (6) preventiveapproaches; (7) prevention; (8) public participation;(9) unity management; (10) efficient management;(11) human resource development; and (12) livelihoodrehabilitation.The Civil Defense Secretariat is responsible foridentifying disaster prevention measure and policiesand monitoring the National Civil Defense Plan. ThisPlan serves as the master plan for all agencies concerned,and provides guidelines for the formulation of theoperational plans of agencies responsible for disastermanagement.Furthermore, Thailand also has some projects on disasterreduction, namely: (1) One Tambon (sub-district)One Search and Rescue Team (OTOS); (2) disastermanagement training for managers, practitioners, localgovernment officers and others through the DDPM’sDisaster Prevention and Mitigation Academies(DPMA), which are situated in six different campuses,namely Chiang Mai, Phitsanulok, Khon Khaen,Phuket, Prachinburi and Songkhla; and (3) educationfor disaster-preparedness in primary schools.Summary and conclusionPolicies in disaster management are part of disasterpreparedness, while victim services are part of disasterresponse. Both of them are among the most importantand inseparable parts in the disaster managementcycle.Indonesia does have disaster management policies.Moreover, it has just enacted a new Disaster ManagementAct in March 2007. However, the policies, as well asmeasures taken so far, are far from perfect. Indonesiastill needs integrative policies and measures to cope withits various disaster-related problems. The newly enactedbill is really a blessing, but is not enough.Policy alone is not enough. It might be best treatedas a basis for disaster management, yet, it must alsobe subsequently supported by measures taken bygovernment, civil society, private companies andother stakeholders who work together to mitigate thedisaster and strengthen disaster preparedness in a morecooperative and integrative way.According to Vitchek (2007), Indonesia is poor, but itcertainly has the capacity to protect some of its mostvulnerable citizens. The main problem is a lack ofpolitical will and a system whose priorities lie elsewhere.The failure to deal with the problems of natural andhuman-made disasters is rooted in the combination ofthe dominance of the calculus of profit and the system’scorruption.The natural disaster victim services programs in thethree countries vary due to their own preparednessand policies. Generally, no agency in the abovecountries is really well prepared for disasters since thenature of disasters is that they are unpreventable andunpredictable. However, Japan is slightly better offsince the country has equipped its disaster managementsystem with adequate policies and preparedness. Also,its people and government have been quick to learnfrom previous disasters so that they can provide theservices adequately.Thailand’s disaster victim services program is as poorlyfunded as Indonesia’s. Moreover, the country is nota disaster-prone country compared to Japan andIndonesia. However, Thailand has also already equippedits disaster management system with relatively adequatepolicies and established many disaster preparednesscenters and victim service groups all over Thailand.Japan and Thailand have radically learned from theirAsian Transformations in ActionThe Work of the 2006/2007 API Fellows