nuclear-news

Location leaves Brunei open to nuclear material smuggling

BRUNEI’S strategic location in Borneo could leave the country open to nuclear material smuggling and therefore accidents or criminal incidents, said a visiting expert on nuclear security.

Andrea Cavina said this threat existed even though Brunei did not conduct nuclear research or dispose of radioactive waste.

Cavina is one of three speakers from the United Nations Inter-Regional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) invited to speak at the two-day National Action Plan workshop, which started yesterday.

The workshop, organised by the Brunei National CBRN (chemical, biological, radioactive and nuclear) Team, aims to come up with a united approach to risk mitigation and emergency response to natural, accidental or criminal incidents by incorporating various practices from related government agencies.

It also seeks to list potential risks to be included in the National Action Plan, and also prepare steps for remediation that will be coordinated with international organisations such as ASEAN and the European Union.

Deputy Permanent Secretary (Security and Enforcement) at the Prime Minister’s Department Dato Paduka Hj Mohammad Juanda Hj Rashid, the guest of honour at the workshop’s launch, said: “Alhamdulillah, Brunei has never experienced any major incident involving CBRN, but nevertheless, this should not mean that we are not at risk of it happening in the future.”

He added that the risk of CBRN misuse or mishap would always be present because the era of globalisation had brought about a high degree of movement of people and goods.

“With the creation of the National Action Plan, it will help to mitigate, prevent and minimise potential threats of incidents involving CBRN,” he said.

Dato Hj Mohammad Juanda added that strengthening national CBRN capacities for prevention and detection had become increasingly important.

“Responding to major CBRN incidents will entail a multifaceted response, requiring coordination and cooperation at all levels to ensure the safety of the public; and Brunei recognises the importance of this national preparedness,” he said.

To this end, the Security and Enforcement Division at the Prime Minister’s Office has laid out enabling plans.

“I hope that this workshop will bring about a great deal of knowledge sharing and best practices exchanges amongst representative of UNICRI with the various government agencies to better equip Brunei with a more robust and comprehensive framework to handle any matters pertaining to CBRN incidents,” he said.

Some 100 participants from, among others, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Ministry of Health, the Royal Brunei Armed Forces, the Royal Brunei Police Force, the Royal Customs and Excise Department, the Fire and Rescue Department and the National Disaster Management Centre took part in the workshop.

The other two speakers were Alexander Hamilton – an expert in biosecurity – and Maria Rettori – the regional coordinator for Southeast Asia to Brunei.

Rettori, who is also the representative from the BRN Risk Mitigation and Security Governance Programme, led the team from UNICRI.

During the workshop, participants were presented with a number of scenarios to evaluate whether they were applicable to the Sultanate.

Participants also discussed what facilities, expertise and training would be needed for risk mitigation and effective emergency responses.

Several issues were raised such as the need to have a standard operating procedure in place linking all ministries and government bodies involved in CBRN, and the lack of forensic investigation or a laboratory with Biosafety Level 3 – the second highest biosafely level – to detect and determine the type of biological hazard.

The discussion continued with other issues such as infectious disease outbreaks, travel issues, farming practices that could expose individuals or communities to infected animals and other insect vectors that may carry human or animal pathogens that may be relevant to Brunei Darussalam and the National Action Plan.

The Brunei Times

February 14, 2014 - Posted by arclight2011part2 | Uncategorized