A HIGH-POWERED meeting of naval chiefs from 24 countries is to be held at the JW Marriott Resort and Spa on Phuket next week under tight security.
Details of the gathering, from April 25 to April 29, were made public today for the first time.
Holding talks with Thailand will be senior representatives from 19 nations: the US, Australia, Canada, Chile, France, Indonesia, Japan, Cambodia, Tonga, Malaysia, Brunei, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, China, Philippines, Korea, Singapore, Russia and Vietnam. UN bodies and four observer-status countries - India, Peru, Mexico and Bangladesh - will also be represented.
William J. Wesley, Executive Director for Plans and Policy, Commander, US Pacific Fleet, is expected to be attending. It may be no coincidence that the USS Ronald Reagan, world's largest aircraft carrier, is also planning a visit to Phuket.
Japan's March 11 triple disaster of an earthquake, a tsunami and a nuclear plant calamity is expected to be among the major talking-points as participants on Phuket hold specific talks under the banner ''Seapower - a Unifying Force for Good.''
Cooperative humanitarian assistance and a disaster relief workshop will be high on the agenda.
The USS Ronald Reagan formed part of the US relief team that was sent to help Japan in the wake of the ''triple whammy'' that devastated large areas of the country and killed more than more than three times the 5400 people who died in Phuket and Thailand in the 2004 tsunami.
Behind the scenes at the JW Marriott, the rise of China and India as sea powers across the Indian and Pacific Oceans is likely to be noted by US and Russian representatives in particular.
The gathering at the Marriott has the formal title of the Western Pacific Naval Symposium, which meets every two years. Previous gatherings were held in Sydney and Honolulu.
Phuket authorities have yet to clarify whether more intense security will be in place when the USS Ronald Reagan arrives to prevent a repetition of blockades by greedy local taxi drivers that have bedevilled previous US Navy visits to Phuket.
A new general manager, Irishman Tony Pedroni, has just been appointed at the five-star JW Marriott.
USS Ronald Reagan Heads for VisitDetails of the gathering, from April 25 to April 29, were made public today for the first time.
Holding talks with Thailand will be senior representatives from 19 nations: the US, Australia, Canada, Chile, France, Indonesia, Japan, Cambodia, Tonga, Malaysia, Brunei, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, China, Philippines, Korea, Singapore, Russia and Vietnam. UN bodies and four observer-status countries - India, Peru, Mexico and Bangladesh - will also be represented.
William J. Wesley, Executive Director for Plans and Policy, Commander, US Pacific Fleet, is expected to be attending. It may be no coincidence that the USS Ronald Reagan, world's largest aircraft carrier, is also planning a visit to Phuket.
Japan's March 11 triple disaster of an earthquake, a tsunami and a nuclear plant calamity is expected to be among the major talking-points as participants on Phuket hold specific talks under the banner ''Seapower - a Unifying Force for Good.''
Cooperative humanitarian assistance and a disaster relief workshop will be high on the agenda.
The USS Ronald Reagan formed part of the US relief team that was sent to help Japan in the wake of the ''triple whammy'' that devastated large areas of the country and killed more than more than three times the 5400 people who died in Phuket and Thailand in the 2004 tsunami.
Behind the scenes at the JW Marriott, the rise of China and India as sea powers across the Indian and Pacific Oceans is likely to be noted by US and Russian representatives in particular.
The gathering at the Marriott has the formal title of the Western Pacific Naval Symposium, which meets every two years. Previous gatherings were held in Sydney and Honolulu.
Phuket authorities have yet to clarify whether more intense security will be in place when the USS Ronald Reagan arrives to prevent a repetition of blockades by greedy local taxi drivers that have bedevilled previous US Navy visits to Phuket.
A new general manager, Irishman Tony Pedroni, has just been appointed at the five-star JW Marriott.
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Does "JW Marriott Resort and Spa" have it's own fleet of taxis available, or will they be relying on local taxis and tuk-tuks?
Posted by Mike Boyd on April 22, 2011 16:49