U.S. Ambassador Kent M. Wiedemann presents a symbolic check for $2.58 million for Cambodia’s demining operations to Director General Khem Sophan of the Cambodian Mine Action Center (CMAC). Observing from left to right are: Col. Michael A. Norton, U.S. Defense Attaché; Mr. Hum Sophon, Director of Programs, Cambodian Red Cross; Mr. Sam McCleod, Technical Advisor, Training, Monitoring and Evaluation Unit, Mines Advisory Group (CMAC); Ms. Isabelle Plumat, Country Director, Handicap International; Mr. Neil Hawkins, Country Director, CARE, and; Mr. Koy Chomrong, Chief, Training, Monitoring and Evaluation Unit (CMAC).

Royal Cambodian Army engineers, who have received training from U.S. Army engineers, have built or rebuilt main roads in the country.

Unpaved roads in Cambodia in the rainy season can become impassible for wheeled vehicles.

Brig. Gen. Sem Sovanny, Deputy Commander, Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) Engineers, shows Col. Michael A. Norton, the U.S. Defense Attaché, the bridges built by the (RCAF) Engineer Road and Bridge Brigade on Road 56 in Pursatt Province (Top) and in Kampot Province (Bottom).

Bridges built by the (RCAF) Engineer Road and Bridge Brigade on Road 56 in Pursatt Province (Top) and in Kampot Province (Bottom).

Air Chief Marshall Chanchai Chanchidchingchai, Deputy Chief of Joint Staff of the host, Royal Thai Armed Forces, opens the Southeast Asia Peace Operations Symposium in Bangkok, Thailand.

U.S. Ambassador Richard E. Hecklinger speaks at the symposium’s opening ceremony.

Delegates and observers representing 17 countries gathered for the Southeast Asia Peace Operations Symposium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Australia, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and the United States were joined by observers from Bangladesh, Canada, Japan, Madagascar, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, New Zealand, and Tonga.

The symposium successfully allowed regional countries to share in developing peace operations capabilities during syndicate discussion groups.

The workshop uses a hypothetical typhoon and volcanic eruption multi-disaster in the Philippines as a planning scenario to improve multinational responses to future humanitarian crises in the Pacific.

Brig. Gen. Roberto Santiago, AFP, is briefed on the preparation of the after-action report that provided specific recommendations to improve the multinational planning process.

Delegates from 17 nations attend a follow-on MPAT workshop in Honolulu, 22-26 January 2001.

Lt. Col. Kenji Tsuchida and Maj. Hiroshi Nakagawara represent Japan, which was a first-time observer at the workshop.

Some of the more than 100 delegates from 18 countries form one of the working groups for the first Multinational Planning Augmentation Team (MPAT) Staff Planning Workshop held in Manila.

Col. Bob Brewster, USAF, Chief Controller, and Brig. Gen. Roberto Santiago, AFP, Commander of a simulated multinational task force, view the operational area for the simulated disaster relief operation in the Philippines. The MPAT workshop was co-sponsored by the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the U.S. Pacific Command.

Lt. Col. Dashdondog Bayarsaikhan and Col. Ayush Ganbat from Mongolia attended both the Manila and Hawaii workshops.

Cmdr. Viliame Naupoto and Lt. Col. Pita Drita represent the Fiji Defence Force, which has considerable experience in multinational humanitarian operations.