PUBLISHED ONFebruary 24, 2014 4:15 AM
KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia will prepare a project kit with ASEAN countries to counter tropical diseases, including dengue and natural disasters, by next year.
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said the Malaysian Armed Forces was researching ways of bridging the gap between ASEAN countries, beside warfare and military aid.
"This project kit for tropical diseases and natural disasters can be part of a bigger package of uniting ASEAN states as one."
He said this after attending a gotong-royong in Kajang yesterday with more than 300 National Service trainees and locals.
He said Malaysia had the expertise when it came to health and environmental issues, and was certain that other countries in the region had their own strengths.
Hishammuddin said he recently spoke with his Singaporean counterpart on the project kit and they discussed ways to recognise symptoms of malaria and combat dengue.
He said this would raise Malaysia's military image to be on par with other countries globally, thus, giving a positive outlook on what the nation had to offer.