Malaysian Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi called for the establishment of centres focusing on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) in the region.

"I think (a) few HADR centres have to be set up," he said at the Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual security conference in Singapore.

This would supplement the existing Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) facility governing cooperation among the group's 10 member nations, Ahmad added.

Malaysia has frequently provided aid to ASEAN countries hit by natural disasters, and was involved in giving humanitarian assistance to Myanmar after the reclusive nation was devastated by Cyclone Nargis in May 2008.

New Zealand's Minister of Defence Wayne Mapp, whose government provides relief assistance to small Pacific island states, agreed with Ahmad's call and said action had to be taken.

"We have to move beyond talking about to actually doing something and having centres of excellence, probably regional based, would probably help," Mapp said.

New Zealand was heavily involved in supplying humanitarian aid to Samoa and Tonga after the two Polynesian countries were hit by an earthquake and subsequent tsunami in March 2009.

Chilean Defence Minister Jaime Ravinet de la Fuente spoke about his country's experience dealing with a massive earthquake in February this year, and stressed the importance of educating people about disasters.

"I would say that is the key issue. People must be educated (and) should know what to do in case of a threat," he said.

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