Strengthening International Cooperation for Prevention and Detection in Viet Nam and in South East Asia

Radioactive sources are widely used in various fields, bringing about lots of benefits but also posing the escalating danger of these materials being diverted by terrorists and acts of sabotage. Since the 11 September events in 2001, the threat of terrorism involving nuclear and radioactive materials has been a common concern for the international community. Hence, strengthening international cooperation for security of radioactive sources has been one of priority policies of many countries. Viet Nam is located in South East Asia (SEA) and has land borders with China, Laos and Cambodia. According to VARANS's statistics based on RAISVN system, Viet Nam has approximately 5600 radioactive sources used in research, training, industry, medicine and radiation safety services, in which there are 35 sources with radioactivity above 1000 Ci. Some accidents related to security of radioactive sources in the past years has called serious attention of the government, typically losses of radioactive sources including Cs-137 in 2003, Eu-152 in 2006, Ir-192 in 2014 and the illegal trafficking of radioactive cards in some provinces in 2006 and 2014. Recognizing the importance of international cooperation activities in enhancing security for radioactive sources, especially in prevention and detection, Viet Nam has established close relationships with the IAEA, USA, Japan, South Korea and some countries in the region. As a result, the physical protection system of 24 radiation facilities with radioactivity greater than 1000 Ci has been significantly improved. 8 Radiation Portal Monitors (RPM) have been installed at Noi Bai International airport and 12 RPMs at 3 sea ports. All these systems have been put into operation since 2014. Some detection equipment have been also installed for Da Nang international airport for enhancing the detection capability. The Integrated Nuclear Security Support Plan (INSSP) was developed for Viet Nam in 2011 and updated in 2014 and 2018. Various training courses and workshops on prevention and detection measures have been organised to raise awareness and enhance capability of relevant authorities including prevention and detection arrangements for major public events. A Pilot Project for Radioactive Source Location Tracking System (RADLOT) has been implemented in Viet Nam since 2014. Besides, Viet Nam has been also actively participating in many regional cooperation activities. With majority is developing countries sharing many common needs, SEA has established a good cooperation relationship with its international counterparts to obtain technical support and assistance for enhancing security of radioactive sources consistent with relevant international recommendations and guidances. Since 2004, the international programs of the Australian Regional Security of Radioactive Sources (RSRS) Project and the United States's Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration's Global Threat Reduction Initiative (GTRI) has supported a number of SEA countries in enhancing physical protection and security management measures. Since 2011, with the support of European Commission (EU), SEA countries have participated in CoE Initiative of EU for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Risks Mitigation. Under this initiative, many projects focusing on enhancing legal frameworks, technical capability and inter-agency coordination for security of CBRN materials have been implemented. EU has also provided support for SEA countries in establishing the National Action Plan (NAP) for prevention, detection and respond to CBRN threats and planned to formulate a regional NAP for SEA. There is no doubt that through the above cooperation activities, the security of radioactive sources in Viet Nam in particular and SEA in general has been enhanced. From the experiences of Viet Nam and SEA, some lessons could be shared and learnt. Besides, there are still some aspects of such international cooperation activities could be improved and further enhancement could be made to better assist the country and the region in obtaining and maintaining an effective system for security of radioactive sources focusing on strengthening prevention and detection capability, which would be elaborated hereafter. (author)