IARU Region 3 Directors Meet

The IARU Region 3 Directors met in Tokyo over two and a half days from 20 to 22 August 2008, hosted by Japan Amateur Radio League (JARL).

The Directors are Chairman Michael Owen VK3KI, Shizuo Endo, JE1MUI, Peter Lake, ZL2AZ, Gopal Madhavan, VU2GMN and Joong-Geun Rhee, HL1AQQ. They were assisted by Secretary Keigo Komuro, JA1KAB and Assistant Secretary Jay Oka JA1TRC. IARU Vice President Tim Ellam VE6SH also participated in the meeting.

The Directors reviewed the ITU World Radiocommunication Conference that had been held in Geneva in November 2007 (WRC-07). The next WRC will be held in 2011 (WRC-11) and has agenda items that may directly and indirectly affect the amateur services. The Directors recognised the importance of ensuring that those involved in the preparation for that Conference at a regional and national level are kept fully informed.

IARU Region 3 will be represented at the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (the APT) Preparatory Group Meetings for WRC-11 (APG-2011). JARL has offered to host the fifth Global Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Conference, GAREC-2009, in Tokyo next, to be held in conjunction with the JARL Ham Fair. The Directors believe that amateurs have a very important role to play in emergency communications and took steps to ensure that the Region participates in the GAREC-2009.

The Directors again decided to urge member societies to approach their administrations to remove any national regulations that inhibited amateurs from either meeting emergency communication needs or practising to meet such needs. The Directors congratulated the Chinese Radio Sports Association (CRSA) on the outstanding contribution of the Chinese radio amateurs in support of the humanitarian response to the tragic earthquake in May 2008. The Directors carefully considered the report of Manohar Arasu VU2UR, the Regional Monitoring System Coordinator on relation to the broadcasts from Sound of Hope in Taiwan on amateur bands and will urge member societies to approach their administrations requesting that they object to the Taiwanese administration about these breaches of the Radio Regulations.

IARU Region 3, assisted by the Thai national society, Radio Amateur Society of Thailand (RAST), will participate in Telecom Asia 2008 in Bangkok, Thailand in the first week of September this year, to promote amateur radio. The next IARU Region 3 Conference will be held in Christchurch New Zealand in October 2009, hosted by New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters (NZART). The Directors reviewed the preparations for this Conference and hope to provide final details for member societies by the end of this year. They are confident that it will be very successful.

In closing the meeting the Chairman acknowledged the time and meaningful contribution made by all Directors since their last meeting in August last year. He said that it is important that all amateurs recognise the importance of the work of the IARU in protecting their privileges.

Click Here To Return To Previous Page