Bangkok, 21 July 2026 — A day ahead of the opening of the 18th Aceh International Workshop and Expo on Sustainable Disaster Recovery (AIWEST-DR) 2026, a delegation from Universitas Syiah Kuala (USK) held a courtesy visit with the Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to the Kingdom of Thailand, Hari Prabowo, at the Indonesian Embassy (KBRI) in Bangkok. The meeting was part of a series of courtesy calls and coordination efforts ahead of the international conference, which will take place in Bangkok on 22–24 July 2026.
The USK delegation was led by the Vice Rector for Student Affairs and Entrepreneurship, Dr. Rina Suryani Oktari, S.Kep., M.Si., FRSPH. Also present were the Director of the Tsunami and Disaster Mitigation Research Center (TDMRC) USK, Prof. Muksin, S.Si., M.Si., M.Phil., the Head of USK’s Global Engagement Office, Prof. Syamsidik, S.T., M.Sc., the Chair of AIWEST-DR 2026, Dr. Natt Leelawat of Chulalongkorn University, the Co-Chair of AIWEST-DR 2026 from USK, Ir. Adrian Ulza, M.Sc., Dr. Ganni Satya Venkata Sai Aditya Bharadwaj, and a number of other TDMRC USK researchers. Representing the embassy, the audience was also attended by the Education and Culture Attaché (Atdikbud) at KBRI Bangkok, Dr. Cyti Daniela Aruan.
During the meeting, the delegation briefed the embassy on the preparations for AIWEST-DR 2026, including the range of countries represented among participants and USK’s role as one of the conference’s original initiators, now in its 18th edition. The delegation also expressed hope that KBRI Bangkok could help support the smooth running of the event, particularly through the institutional relationship between Indonesia and Thailand in research and higher education.
“Our presence here is both a gesture of respect and an effort to build an academic diplomatic network. AIWEST-DR is not just a scientific forum, it’s also a platform to strengthen Indonesia’s disaster research collaboration with international partners, and we wanted KBRI to be part of that journey,” said Dr. Rina Suryani Oktari.
Ambassador Hari Prabowo welcomed the visit and expressed appreciation for USK’s contribution, particularly through TDMRC, to promoting international disaster research cooperation. He voiced his support for the AIWEST-DR 2026 conference and expressed hope that the forum would further strengthen academic and people-to-people ties between Indonesia and Thailand, in line with KBRI Bangkok’s role in facilitating cooperation between the two countries in the Asia-Pacific region. On the same occasion, Dr. Cyti Daniela Aruan also spoke about ongoing higher-education cooperation between Indonesia and Thailand, reflecting the Atdikbud’s role in facilitating academic networks between the two countries.
Prof. Muksin added that support from Indonesia’s official representation in Thailand carries strategic value for TDMRC in expanding its global disaster research network, noting that AIWEST-DR 2026 will bring together contributors from Japan, Malaysia, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, China, the United Kingdom, France, the United States, Australia, Taiwan, Singapore, and Pakistan, in addition to Indonesia and Thailand themselves.
AIWEST-DR 2026 carries the theme “Resilience by Design: Systems for Sustainable Recovery” and is organized by the Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, in collaboration with TDMRC USK and other international partners. This year’s conference will be held in hybrid format, with dozens of participants attending in person in Bangkok and the rest joining online.
