Thailand hosts AIPA Caucus

BANGKOK, May 1 (TNA) - The 4th ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) Caucus is being held in Bangkok from April 30-May 3 to boost regional cooperation on disaster relief and prepare for the formation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) by 2015. Thai Parliament President and House Speaker Somsak Kiartsuranont said when inaugurating the 4th AIPA Caucus Tuesday that the AIPA is a forum for members of the parliaments in the region to develop legal initiatives for regional interests and to enhance cooperation between the AIPA and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for the sake of security and sustainable development in the region. Somsak acknowledged that the ongoing AIPA Caucus focuses on promoting cooperation among the ASEAN member states on disaster relief. Meanwhile, opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, who is a former Thai premier and the chair of the 4th AIPA Caucus, urged countries in the region to join forces to cope with future disasters and share relevant information which would support disaster relief, saying he hoped that the assembly would then come up with concrete cooperation on disaster relief. (TNA)