gen. (ret.) chalermsuk yugalahttpassets)/17d85ae860… · synthetic biology is the buzz word....
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Gen. (Ret.) Chalermsuk Yugala
Advisor to Royal Thai Army Chemical Department
and
Chairman of Thailand BWC Committee
National Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC)
Regional Workshop for ASEAN States Parties to the BWCOn Preparedness to Respond to the Deliberate Use of Biological Weapons
Bangkok 6-7 June 2019
•Biological Weapons, Biological Agents
•Biological Warfare Agents and Production
•Biological Weapons Threats:
Global, Thailand and SE Asia
Agenda
!
What are Biological and Toxin Weapons?
BWC does not give a definition.
Article 1
Each SP undertakes never to develop, produce, stockpile or otherwise acquire or retain:
(1) Microbial or other biological agents, or toxins whatever their origin or method of production
(2) Weapons, equipment or means of delivery designed to use such agents or toxins for hostile purposes or in armed conflict
What are Biological and Toxin Weapons?
• Weapon systems that disseminate disease-causing organisms (pathogens) or toxins to harm or kill humans, animals or plants [biological agents].
• Generally consist of two parts:
A weaponized agent
Delivery mechanism
What are Biological Agents?
• Almost any pathogen (disease-causing organism such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, prions or rickettsiae) or toxin (poisons derived from animals, plants or microorganisms, or similar substances produced synthetically).
• The agents can be enhanced to make them more suitable for mass production, storage, and dissemination as weapons [biological warfare agents].
Past Production of Biological Warfare Agents
Unit 731 of the Japanese Army in China during the 2nd World War
Past Production of Biological Warfare Agents
Wartime Britain produced anthrax in preparation to retaliate Germany and experimented its effectiveness on animals on Gruinard island off the coast of Scotland.
Past Production of Biological Warfare Agents
Former biological warfare agent production plant at Fort Detrick, U.S.A.
Past Production of Biological Warfare Agents
During the cold war period, anthrax leaked from a biological warfare agent production plant at the town of Sverdlovsk in former USSR, killing a number of people.
Past Production of Biological Warfare Agents
Past Production of Biological Warfare Agents
Al Hakam
Biological Warfare Agents Production
Only states were and are capable of
producing biological warfare agents in
bulk, and they are the only likely actors
able to wage full fledge biological war
with munitions that have been specially
developed to disseminate these agents.
Biological vs. Nuclear Weapons
Biological Warfare Agents Production
A product from a certain state-own
biological warfare agents production
facility would have its own particular
“signature”, due to the production
process employed.
Biological Warfare Agents Production
Scientists were able to determine right
away that the anthrax spores found in
envelopes sent to attack various persons in
the U.S. in 2001 were not of the biological
warfare agent grade from any known former
production facility. The spores were from the
Ames strain commonly use in laboratories (the
U.S. weaponized Vollum 1B strain).
Non-State use of biological agent
Biological Warfare Agents Production
Historical biological weapons
programmes have included efforts to
produce: aflatoxin, anthrax, botulinum
toxin, foot-and-mouth disease, glanders,
plague, Q fever, rice blast, ricin, Rocky
Mountain spotted fever, smallpox, and
tularaemia, among others.
Biological Weapons Threats
Global Threats
Synthetic biology is the buzz word.
Synthetic biology is the design and
construction of new biological parts, devices,
and systems, and the re-design of existing,
natural biological systems for useful
purposes. It can be used to create a new
microbe or modify an existing one!!!!
The hazards of synthetic biology
include biosecurity hazards, stemming
from deliberate engineering of organisms
to cause harm.
Synthetic or redesigned organisms could
theoretically be used for bioterrorism.
Potential risks include recreating known
pathogens from scratch, engineering existing
pathogens to be more dangerous, and
engineering microbes to produce harmful
biochemicals.
Perceived Threatsto Thailand and SE Asia
Perceived Threats to
Thailand
:
None from armed conflicts in
the region (BWC honoured)
External Threat:
- From international terrorist
groups (carry out attack or
render support to domestic
terrorists)
Internal Threat:
- From terrorists, possibly with
links to international terrorist
groups
Sources of
Biologicalmaterials
available in country
Sources of materials
☣ No biological warfare agent
☣ Naturally occurring
pathogens
Sources of materials
☣ Cultures obtainable from
laboratories
☣ Covertly cultured for
attack purpose
• Dissemination of aerosol for inhalation
(from pressurized container, UAV, vehicle-mounted generator, IED, etc.)
Assassination of person or the mass:
• Direct contamination of food and water
• Powder in mail
White powder in mail delivered
to persons and foreign embassies
and found in various places soon
after 9/11 in U.S.A. (all either
hoaxes or over react)
Perceived Biological
Threats to SE Asia
Domestic and External Threats:
- From terrorist groups,
especially JI and IS (ex-fighters returned from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan)
In the Philippines, the domestic terrorist group Abu Sayyaf had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) group even before the collapse of IS in Iraq and Syria. Now that large number of citizens of SE Asia nations who went to fight for IS in the middle-east had returned home, they could very well join up and help domestic terrorist groups – one day they might resort to using biological agents.
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