On 20 April 2026, H.E. Ms. Lada Phumas, Ambassador of Thailand to Malaysia, was invited to attend the Opening Ceremony of the 19th Defence Services Asia (DSA) 2026 and the 4th National Security Asia (NATSEC Asia) 2026 at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC), Kuala Lumpur, organized by the Ministry of Defence of Malaysia from 20 to 23 April 2026. The ceremony featured the welcoming remarks by Tan Sri Asmat Kamaludin, Chairman of DSA Exhibition and Conference Sdn. Bhd., and the opening speech by Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Prime Minister of Malaysia. Also in attendance were Dato’ Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, Minister of Defence of Malaysia; Tan Sri Dato’ Dr. Johari bin Abdul, Speaker of the House of Representatives of Malaysia; General Datuk Malek Razak Sulaiman, Chief of Defence Forces of Malaysia; and Mr. Adly bin Zahari, Deputy Minister of Defence of Malaysia, high-level delegations from 76 countries, including Thailand, ambassadors and representatives of foreign missions in Malaysia, as well as guests from the public and private sectors and the media, totaling over 1,000 participants.

 

The Prime Minister of Malaysia highlighted the country’s ability to maintain economic stability and produce high-value goods as key factors attracting global investors. He also underscored the importance of close collaboration between the government and industry in addressing emerging technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence and autonomous systems. In addition, he reaffirmed Malaysia’s strengths in high manufacturing standards and its “active non-alignment” foreign policy, alongside continued efforts to enhance policy implementation and intellectual property protection, in order to sustain Malaysia’s position as a trusted investment partner on the international stage.

 

On this occasion, the Ambassador was pleased to meet and visit the exhibition together with the Thai delegation, led by General Tharaphong Malakham, Permanent Secretary for Defence; General Paiboon Worawanpreecha, Deputy Chief of Defence Forces; Admiral Pichit Srirungrueang, Deputy Chief of Defence Forces; General Phaisan Nusang, Special Advisor to the Royal Thai Army; Admiral Suntorn Kamklai, Senior Expert of the Royal Thai Navy; Air Chief Marshal Anurak Romnarak, Chief of the Air Staff; and Vice Admiral Huttakornan Sirathanapornpat, Chief of Office of the Senior Executives, Thai- Maritime Enforcement Command Center (MECC). The Ambassador reaffirmed the Embassy’s readiness to support the missions of Thai security agencies, particularly in enhancing defence and security cooperation with Malaysia, especially in border management and combating transnational crime. On 19 April 2026, the Ambassador and the Thai delegation also attended an Official Reception for participants at the World Trade Centre, Kuala Lumpur, and met with the Deputy Minister of Defence of Malaysia; General Datuk Malek Razak bin Sulaiman, Chief of Defence Forces of Malaysia; Admiral Laksamana Tan Sri Zulhelmy bin Ithnain, Chief of the Royal Malaysian Navy; and Air Chief Marshal Dato’ Sri Haji Muhamad Norazlan bin Aris, Chief of the Royal Malaysian Air Force.

 

DSA & NATSEC Asia 2026 is a biennial defence and security exhibition and conference in Asia. The 2026 edition is held under the theme “Empowering Capabilities and Resilience Through Technology,” featuring 1,456 companies from 63 countries.