SARCAS Sessions conclude

Army Commander Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake awarding a certificate to a participant.

The sixth South Asia’s Regional Civil Affairs Seminar - 2018 (SARCAS), that brought all military officers specialised in civil-military operations, humanitarian assistance professionals and disaster response practitioners in the Asian region, drew to a close at Hotel Movenpick in Colombo 3, last Friday afternoon.

Army Commander Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake, at the invitation of the Defence Cooperation Office in the American Embassy in Sri Lanka and the Defence Ministry, delivered the concluding remarks to the five-day long conference co-hosted by the Special Operation Command Pacific (SOCPAC) and the Sri Lanka Army. Lieutenant General Senanayake, in his closing remarks, said that the Sri Lanka Army’s rescue and relief roles would receive a stimulant following the knowledge it received as a result of the deliberations in the seminar of special relevance.

It was interesting to note here that during the most recent spate of landslides, floods, natural disasters and all other emergencies, it was the army who showed up first and provided relief to victims and took every measure possible to minimise the gravity of the situations, he said.

“What we gained from these sessions will further help improve our professional standards and technical skills, for which I thank the organisers of this dialogue for the sixth consecutive year in Colombo,” the Commander remarked. SARCAS in Colombo was attended by representative practitioners from Bangladesh, Vietnam, India, Nepal, Indonesia, Maldives, Cambodia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and the US and focused on ‘Preparation and Mitigation of Disasters,’ ‘Immediate Responses,’ ‘Preventing Humanitarian Crisis,’ ‘Long-Term Recovery and Development’ and ‘Looking to the Future,’ followed by different sub themes of related spheres.

Arrangements to this effect were made jointly by the Army Directorate of Psychological Operations commanded by Brigadier Athula Hennadige and the US Embassy in Sri Lanka, with the participation of more than 38 tri-service representatives of the above-mentioned countries.

Towards the conclusion of the sessions, the Army Commander, showing gratitude for hosting the event, awarded souvenirs to five officers who were instrumental in organising the event. US Embassy Defence Attaché Lieutenant Colonel Douglas Hess presented a memento to the Army Commander. In addition, all participants were awarded certificates.

Staff Director-General Major General Dananjith Karunaratne, Training Director-General Major General Aruna Wanniarachchi and senior officers participated.

The interactive sessions throughout the seminar would break into small groups on all five days, to produce their own outcome and presentations, borne out of interactive exchange of views.

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