Army Resource Personnel in CBRN Response Squadron Contribute to Course on Chemical Incidents

Members of the Army Chemical Biological Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Response Squadron, formed recently as a conceptual notion of the Commander of the Army to meet with any catastrophic chemical emergencies have been invited to take part as resource personnel in the Basic Training Course on Emergency Response at Chemical Incidents, now underway at Taj Samudra Hotel during February 6 - 10.

30 foreign representatives from 14 countries, including local participants are taking part in this course, organized by the National Authority for the Implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, established in keeping with the Chemical Weapons Convention Act No: 58 of 2007 for Prohibition of the Development, Production, Transfer, Stockpiling Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction.

Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel T.D.P Siriwardana and Major A.U Hidellaarachchi of CBRN Response Squadron of the 14 Independent Engineer Regiment of Sri Lanka Engineers who have received local and foreign training from the National Authority and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) are taking part in the ongoing sessions as resource personnel.

Brigadier Amith Seneviratne, Engineer Brigade Commander and Major Sanjeewa Assaddumegedara, Commanding Officer, 5 Sri Lanka Engineers of the Army are among the course attendees.

The outdoor practical session, connected to the Course took place this morning (8) at Mattegoda CBRN Headquarters in the presence of all course attendees, using required technical and decontamination equipment, detectors and other instruments.

National Authority for the Implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), established under the Ministry of Industry and Commerce according to the Chemical Weapons Convention Act No 58 of 2007 is empowered to fulfill the national implementation measures under the CWC which is an international treaty for the prohibition of the Development, Production, Transfer, Stockpiling, use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction.

With the objective of enhancing knowledge on chemical weapons and alerting relative personnel for necessary response capacity in the event of chemical emergencies in the region, the National Authority and international organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (POCW) jointly organized this basic course with the support of Army, local and foreign resource personnel.