Five students from the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) have joined
the volunteer force of Télécoms Sans Frontière (TSF) after completion
of the TSF training schedule. The five students Aadit Shrestha, a
researcher at Remote Sensing and Geographical Information Systems from
Nepal; Mr. Hung Ling and Ms. Ei Ei Khin, both students at Disaster
Preparedness, Mitigation and Management (DPMM) from Myanmar; Mr.
Clinton John Smith, a student at DPMM from South Africa, and Mr. Furqan
Ali Shaikh, a student of Information & Communications Technologies
from Pakistan successfully completed the training course run by TSF at
the AIT campus.
According to Mr. Oisin Walton, TSF delegate for the Asia and Pacific,
the training included hands on sessions on mobile satellite devices,
WiFi, GPS and mapping, as well as information on administration,
finances and communications during emergency operations. The three day
training camp ended with a simulation exercise. Apart from Mr. Oisin,
the other trainers were Mr. Sebastien Fivadier, regional ICT
coordinator for TSF; Mr. Frédéric Leduc and Ms. Albane Coeurquetin,
both students at AIT.
The Asia-Pacific base of TSF is located at AIT, Thailand. AIT students
have been working with TSF in disaster relief operations in
Asia-Pacific at Manila which was affected by Tropical Storm Ketsana and
at Tuguegarao which was affected by Typhoon Parma in the Phillipines in
October 2009. They also participated in relief operation in Pakistan
following the earthquake in November 2008.
