Thailand actively prepares for the 35th Cobra Gold exercise

Asia's largest military exercise will take place in the northern and central provinces of Thailand for 11 days, starting from February 9.

The Cobra Gold exercise was attended by 28 countries, with Vietnam participating as an observer.

An image from the Cobra Gold exercise, Reuters photo

According to the Royal Thai Armed Forces, the 35th Cobra Gold exercise is expected to have a total of 8,564 soldiers from seven countries. Of which, Thailand has the largest number with 4,286 soldiers, while the US contributes 3,288 soldiers.

China and India will also participate in this exercise, but only in humanitarian assistance and disaster prevention. Japan will participate in the evacuation of civilians from conflict zones, and South Korea will have soldiers participating in landing, live-fire and civilian evacuation.

Ten other countries including Chile, Vietnam, Laos, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, the Netherlands, Brunei, Myanmar, Saudi Arabia and Cambodia will participate in part of the exercise.

Currently, the host country Thailand is making final preparations for the opening ceremony in Chon Buri province. Cobra Gold is an annual and large-scale exercise, which began in 1961. Due to concerns about instability after the coup in Thailand in May 2014, the US has decided to reduce the scale of the exercise.

According toVOV-Bangkok