Photo: militaryphotos.net

Australia, Brunei, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand will take part in next month’s Balikatan joint military exercise with the Philippines and the US, said a Philippine military official on Sunday. They will participate in the Multinational Maritime Security Roundtable Discussion for the upcoming Balikatan Exercise 2013, which will be conducted from April 5 to 17. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos, spokesperson for the Armed Force of the Philippines (AFP), said the discussion seeks to specify humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations in high-traffic international waters. However, Burgos said the six countries will not be taking part in the actual field training exercises which will be limited to Filipino and US forces. More than 8,000 soldiers are set to participate in the joint exercise this year. The annual Balikatan exercise seeks to "further promote and foster the existing friendship" between the two countries and advance the security and stability of the region.