Non-Traditional Security Threats in Southeast Asia:

Emerging Infectious Diseases

Sophal Ear, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Naval Postgraduate School
PACFLT RSEP
22 July 2012

Disclaimer: Material contained herein is made available for the purpose of peer review and discussion and
does not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of the Navy or the Department of Defense.
But first, a bit about what I do.
Gardening as metaphor.
The Illusion of Control
Gardening, on the other hand, may be a better
metaphor. Gardeners have no illusion of control. We
create the right growing conditions, nurture a healthy
soil life, set up our lifestyles so we have time to tend
our crops, and we plant a diverse variety of sturdy,
healthy plants and watch them grow. We adjust as we
go along - removing excess weeds, mulching, watering
and fertilizing when necessary - and picking off pests.
But ultimately - the end result almost always includes
crop failures, and unexpected successes. And we will
feel more like stewards, sometimes even observers,
than masters of our domain.
http://cseaperkins.wordpress.com/tag/sustainability/
We need leaders who think like
gardeners
By Maj. Joseph Bruhl, 16 July 2012
http://ricks.foreignpolicy.com/posts/
2012/07/16/we_need_leaders_who_
think_like_gardeners
http://csis.org/files/publication/110615_Peake_DoDOverseasLabs_Web_0.pdf
Overseas U.S. Navy and Army
Laboratories
First, please raise your hand if
you know what non-traditional
security threats are.
What are some NTS threats?
Xiaolangdi Dam
Contents
1. The Problems
2. Timeline Context
3. Indonesia Case Study
4. Cambodia Case Study
5. Enterovirus 71 & H1N1
6. Conclusion
Myriad Problems
Poor to non-existent
surveillance
Poor diagnostic
laboratory capability
Disincentives to report
Viral sovereignty
(Indonesia)
Page 213:

In 2006, Indonesia claimed viral
sovereignty over samples of
H5N1 collected within its borders
and announced that it would not
share them until the WHO and
developed countries established
an equitable means of sharing the
benefits (e.g., vaccine) that could
derive from such viruses.
Page 3:

in the poorest countries
per capita expenditure on all
aspects of health care [is] 3%
expenditure in high-income
countries staff in over 90%
not familiar with quality
assurance principles more
than 60% of laboratory
equipment is outdated or
not functioning

August 2001 report
2010
[F]rom my own experiences in countries (
Central Asia, Southeast Asia, India, Sub-Saharan
Africa) I believe the status has not changed
much from the date of the [2001 GAO]
report.
- Director of Laboratory Systems Development at a
major American university
TimelineContext
Human Pandemic Flu Timeline
Spanish (H1N1) HK flu H3N2 HPAI H5N1 H7N2 H7N3 H10N7
Downside of Globalization:
Global Reach of Diseases
Quality of Health Care, 2002
H5N1: Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza
Indonesia Case Study
After FOUR
decades, the
Naval Area
Medical
Research Unit-
2 (Namru-2) is
kicked-out of
Indonesia
And all because of one Minister?
Maybe not.
Issues Raised in Indonesia
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Cambodia Case Study
Lucky guy, thanks to Namru-2...
H5N1 Animal Outbreaks 2004-2008
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2007
2006
2005
2008
H5N1 Human Victims 2005-2008
Issues Raised in Cambodia
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
Low Staff
Compensation
Donor Dependence
Pathologies
Poor staff
management/HR
Patronage networks
detrimental to work
environments
No compensation for
culling
Differing host and
donor priorities
Goal: reduce pandemic potential that could
strike donor countries themselves

But lets end where we started on the
study, with Indonesia and Cambodia
Dateline: 11 April 2010
Namru-2 Jakarta is shutting
down. I have been very
sad. Not only because I
am losing my job, but
more than that, Indonesia
will loss [sic] an
established laboratory
research coz [sic] of
political reasons

--Senior Indonesian scientist
Scientists Technology should be on tap,
but not on top.

Now this is not the end. It is not even the
beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the
end of the beginning.

Churchill
The end or the beginning?

25 June 2010: Director of
Namru-2 Phnom Penh steps
down

Former Namru-2 Jakarta
Commanding Officer was to
head Namru-2 Phnom Penh
(but did not end up there)

Awareness of issues both in
Indonesia and Cambodia for
wherever Namru-2 ends-up.
Thank you. Questions?