The Mekong Institute was invited to attend the International Symposium on Preservation and Development of the Greater Mekong Sub-region and International Support organized by the Japan Society of Civil Engineers (JSCE) and the Asian Civil Engineering Coordinating Council (ACECC). Ms. Sanda Thant, MI Core Program Manager and Ms. Pornwilai Pumira, MI Executive Assistant & Marketing Officer represented the Institute and arrived in Tokyo, Japan on 7 April 2009.
Activities in Japan included attending the Technical Committee (TC) Meeting of the Japan Society of Civil Engineers, representing the Mekong Institute as guest speakers to the International Symposium on Preservation and Development of the Greater Mekong Sub-region and International Support and a visit to the Public Works Research Institute (PWRI) at the Tsukuba Central Research Institute in Tsukuba City.
The objective of the International Symposium on Preservation and Development of the Greater Mekong Sub-region and International Support was to provide opportunities to enhance the understanding of how international assistance can be improved for better development and management of the GMS. There were 120 participants composed of government officials, individuals coming from the private sector and those coming from the academic sector. Ms. Thant made a presentation on the Capacity Building Program in the GMS and Ms. Pumira made a presentation on GMS Development and Cooperation. Both of them presented information on the international support received by the Mekong Institute.
The MI staff had the opportunity to visit the Public Works Research Institute (PWRI) at the Tsukuba Central Research Institute in Tsukuba City. The PWRI is a research institute that develops technology in civil engineering by conducting experiments, research and development activities, technical instruction and dissemination of research achievements on civil engineering techniques. They visited various laboratories of PWRI namely: Coastal Hydraulics Laboratory, River Hydraulics Laboratory, Dam Hydraulics Laboratory, Wastewater Treatment plant, Earthquake Engineering Laboratory Annex, Landslide Model Test Laboratory and the International Center for Water Hazard and Risk Management (ICHARM) which is under the auspices of UNESCO.
