Phuket (Thailand), Dec 11 (IANS): Ways to deal with future occurrences of tsunami and other natural disasters were discussed here Thursday at a symposium which offered Asean nations an opportunity to build a network at regional and international levels for sharing knowledge on public health.

The symposium, titled "Lessons Learned from Emergency Medical Service during the 2004 Tsunami", was held ahead of the tenth anniversary of the devastating tsunami in Asia Dec 26, 2004, the National News Bureau of Thailand reported.

The discussions focused on setting a standard for disaster relief and rescue operations so that rescuers can work together more effectively, according to Thai deputy minister Somsak Chunharas, who presided over the symposium.

According to him, it would also be an opportunity for the Asean countries to build a network at regional and international levels, so that they can all share and exchange knowledge of public health.

The symposium was jointly organised by the Thai public health ministry, the National Institute for Emergency Medicine, and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) with participants coming from medical organisations, doctors and nurses working for disaster relief in Thailand and other countries of the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean).

Thailand is being used by JICA as the hub to disseminate know-how on disaster management in order to streamline public disaster relief operations in the region.