Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union’s (ABU) 50th anniversary General Assembly in Macau opened with a two-day summit on ‘Saving Lives: Preparing for Disasters’.

At the conference, speakers from across the world exchanged their views on the need for broadcasters to be well-prepared to air any news on any disaster.

The forum also heard how the Meteorological Department ran a radio channel regulated by the National Broadcasting and Communications Commission (NBTC) in Thailand.

Akinari Hashimoto, Executive Controller at NHK explained how Japanese citizens were informed instantly about any earthquake through a system of remote-controlled cameras and helicopters which automatically activated radio and TV signals.

In a presentation, Aqeel Quereshi, Vice-President of the Global Alliance on Accessible Technologies and Environments (GAATES) said that radio, television and mobile phones should be used together with community early warning systems to reduce the mortality rate in such situations.

It was agreed that information concerning disasters should be simple, clear and accurate for any audience.