ABOUT SEAGS

GENERAL COMMITTEE

A Brief History of the SEAGS

The Southeast Asian Geotechnical Society was founded in 1967 by Dr. Za Chieh Moh as a regional society to cover Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Hong Kong, Indonesia and Taiwan. It is affiliated with the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering (ISSMFE), the International Association of Engineering Geology (IAEG) and the International Society for Rock Mechanics (ISRM). The past Presidents of the Society were Dr. Za Chieh Moh (1967–1973), Prof. Chin Fung Kee (1973–1975), Prof. Peter Lumb (1975–1977), Dr. Tan Swan Beng (1977–1980), Dr. E.W. Brand (1980–1983), Dr. Ting Wen Hui (1983 – 1985), Prof. A.S. Balasubramaniam (1985-1987), Prof. S. L. Lee (1987-1990), Dr. C.D. Ou (1990-1993), Dr. T.A. Ooi (1993-1996), Dr. S. Sambhandaraksa (1996-1998), Dr. John Li (1998-2001) and Prof. K.Y. Yong (2001–2007). The current President of the Society is Dr. Chung Tien Chin. The Hon.Secretary Treasurers of this Society were Prof. R.D. Mackey (1967–1970), Dr. John D. Nelson (1970–1973), Prof. A.S. Balasubramaniam (1973 –2000) and Prof. D.T. Bergado (2000 to present).

During the period from 1967 to date, geotechnical engineering activities in Southeast Asia increased exponentially in terms of research, continuing education and project work. A very large number of challenging major projects have been completed or are in progress for infrastructure and resources development, as well as the prevention of natural hazards. In Malaysia, the construction of several tall buildings, roads and expressways, airports and ports and dams and reservoirs for hydropower and irrigation, the Penang Bridge one of the longest bridges is now fully utilized and over crowded. A second bridge south of the present bridge is currently being implemented and expected to be completed by 2010. Increasing use of tunnels in the transportation, power and water supply and notably the recently completed combined traffic diversion and flood water bypass SMART project has attracted much interest internationally as can be seen at the international conference and exhibition on Tunnelling and Trenchless Technology held in Kuala Lumpur last year. Excellent progress has also been made in offshore engineering related to the exploration and extraction of oil and gas and the mining of tin. Prof. Chin Fung Kee has contributed much to the understanding of the behaviour of pile foundations and road embankments. He developed the concept of Inverse slope method for the prediction of pile ultimate bearing capacity in 1972. This method is now known and acknowledged internationally as the ‘Chin Method’. Besides geotechnical engineering, he is also well known for his works in buildings, bridges and others. Other stars in geotechnics include Dr. Ting Wen Hui, Dr. Ooi Teik Aun, Dr. Chan Sin Fatt, Tang Tin Sing, Dr. C.T. Toh, Neoh Cheng Aik, Dr. S.S. Gue, Kenny Yee, Tan Yean Chin, Simon Tan Siow Meng, Yee Yew Weng and others. Large scale projects have been completed or are under construction in other member countries of the Society. In Singapore, the number of highrise buildings has greatly increased. Further, the novel construction of the Changi International Airport on reclaimed land and other reclamation projects posed challenging geotechnical problems in ground improvement techniques. The large land reclamation projects carried out in the past include the East Coast Reclamation Project, the Tuas Reclamation Project, the Jurong Island Reclamation Project, and the Changi East Reclamation Projects. The Singapore Mass Rail Transit (MRT) System and new underground expressways that pass through areas in which highrise or preserved historical buildings are located has been constructed. Recent projects include the Northeast MRT Line, the Kallang/Paya Lebar Expressway, and the Deep Tunnel Sewage System. Dr. Tan Swan Beng, Prof. S. L. Lee and Prof. B. Broms have contributed much to the advancement of practical geotechnics in Singapore. Mention should also be made of the valuable contributions by Prof. Victor Choa, Prof. S. D. Ramaswamy, Dr. G. P. Karunaratne, Prof. K. Y. Yong, Dr. C. F. Leung, Dr. Chew Soon Hoe, Dr. Harry Tan Siew Ann, Dr. Zhao Jian, Dr. J. Chu and others.

Geotechnical engineering activities in Hong Kong have also been dynamic. Despite its small size, Hong Kong is of international significance as the world’s third most important financial center, as its third largest port and as a leading manufacturing and exporting center. The Territory’s phenomenal economic expansion over the past few decades has been accompanied by extensive civil engineering and building in both the public and private sectors. The combination of extremely hilly terrain, deeply weathered rock profiles and high seasoned rainfall has in the past resulted in severe landslide problems in Hong Kong’s intensely developed urban areas. To combat the landslide problem, a dedicated body was formed by the government in 1977 – now the Geotechnical Engineering Office (GEO). Under the leadership of Dr. E. W. Brand, Dr. A.W. Malone and Ir Raymond K.S. Chan, the GEO made significant contribution in reducing landslide risk in Hong Kong. The effort of local practitioners and researchers in enhancing slope safety and the quality of geotechnical works in developments also cannot be ignored. In particular, the late Prof. Peter Lumb pioneered geotechnical research, e.g. in the application of statistical and probabilistic analyses to geotechnics. A country report on topics of slopes, landslides, geotechnical breakthrough, tunnels and reclamation in Hong Kong can be found in the 40th anniversary commemorative special volume published together with the 16th Southeast Asia Geotechnical Conference. Geotechnical engineering activities in Taiwan were well summarized in lectures given by Dr. Za Chieh Moh, the founder President of the Society. Taiwan, with an area of 36,000 sq km, has more than 18 million people living mostly on lands which are alluvial plains or basins underlain by soft clays and recent deposits of sands and gravels. Many of the recently completed major projects in Taiwan have incorporated research and development in ground improvement with the use of compaction sand piles, preloading with and without drains and grouting. In addition, Taiwan is located in the active Pacific seismic zone and experiences over a thousand earthquakes and tremors every year. Dr. Za Chieh Moh, Prof. J.J. Hung, Dr. Chin Der Ou, Dr. Woo Siu Mun and other researchers in Taiwan must be congratulated for the enormous progress they have made in geotechnical engineering in Taiwan.The Mass Transit System in Taipei has been completed as well as the Rapid Railway System from Taipei in the North to Khaosiung in the South.

The Secretariat of the Southeast Asian Geotechnical Society has been located at the Asian Institute of Technology in Bangkok from the very inception of the Society. Much of the geotechnical engineering research in Thailand has been conducted at the Asian Institute of Technology and Chulalongkorn University. Other universities such as Kasetsart University, King Mongkut’s University Thonburi, King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology, Suranaree University, etc. are fast catching up. This has been concentrated on detailed studies of the quarternary deposits found in the southern part of the lower Central Plain in which the city of Bangkok is situated. Dr. Za Chieh Moh, the first Chairman of the Division of Geotechnical Engineering at the Asian Institute of Technology and his colleagues, Dr. E.W. Brand and Dr. John D. Nelson, initiated a comprehensive research program on the engineering behaviour of these quarternary deposits. Other early researchers include Dr. Chai Muktabhant and Mr. Nibon Rananand. The current leaderships in geotechnical engineering in Bangkok is spearheaded by Dr. S. Sambhandaraksa, Dr. Warakorn Mairaing, Dr. Wanchai Teparaksa, Dr. Noppadol Phienwej, and others. At the Asian Institute of Technology, Prof. A.S. Balasubramaniam and his colleagues Prof. Prinya Nutalaya, Prof. T. Akagi, Mr. Soren Holmberg, Prof. Onodera, Dr. H. Ohta, Dr. A. Tomiolo, Dr. G. Rantucci, Dr. F. Prinzl, Dr. R.J. Whiteley, Prof. D.T. Bergado and Dr. S. Chandra, Dr. N. Phienwej, Dr. P.H. Giao and others have been active in research and development on large variety of geotechnical engineering topics. Among the infrastructure projects recently completed in Bangkok includes the New Bangkok International (Suvarnabhumi) Airport, Bangkok Chonburi Motorway, Outer Ring Road, Second Stage Expressway, Bangkok Elevated Transit System and Bangkok Mass Transit Underground System.

The objectives of the Society when it was created in 1967 by Dr. Za Chieh Moh was to promote cooperation among engineers, geologists and other scientists in Southeast Asia for the advancement of knowledge in geotechnical engineering. This has clearly been fulfilled over the years through periodic meetings within the region for discussion of geotechnical engineering topics. geotechnical engineering conferences, symposia, seminars and lectures held in the region. Publication of a journal which contains papers of interest to geotechnical engineers. and collaboration with the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Foundation/ Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMFE/ISSMGE), the International Association of Engineering Geology (IAEG), the International Society for Rock Mechanics (ISRM) and such other bodies and societies as appropriate.

One of the most important activities of the Society is the series of regional conferences held once every two or three years. These conferences are held in the member countries of the Society and offer a unique opportunity for the geotechnical engineers in the region, as well as those from outside, to meet and exchange ideas. To date, Fifteen Southeast Asian Conferences of the Society have been held as follows:

1st Conference in Bangkok (1967)
Dr. Za Chieh Moh served as Chairman of the Organizing Committee

2nd Conference in Singapore (1970)
A. Vijiaratnam and Chan Chee Wah served as Chairman and Co Chairman respectively. Mr. Michael Lee was the Secretary.

3rd Conference in Hong Kong (1972)
Prof. Peter Lumb served as Chairman of the Organizing Committee

4th Conference in Kuala Lumpur (1975)
Prof. Chin Fung Kee and Ooi Teik Aun were respectively Chairman and Secretary of the Organizing Committee.

5th Conference in Bangkok (1977)
Dr. E.W. Brand and Prof. A.S. Balasubramaniam served as Chairman and Secretary of the Organizing Committee respectively

6th Conference in Taipei (1980)
Dr. ZaChieh Moh served as Chairman of the Conference Committee

7th Conference in Hong Kong (1982)
Mr. Stanley Elliott served as Chairman of the Organizing Committee

8th Conference in Kuala Lumpur (1985)
Dr. Ting Wen Hui and Dr. C.T. Toh served respectively as Chairman and Secretary of the Conference Committee.

9th Conference in Bangkok (1987)
Prof. A.S. Balasubramaniam (Chairman) Dr. N. Phienwej, J. Kuwano, G. Rantucci, P. Nutalaya

10th Conference in Taipei (1990)
B.P.C. Chi (Chairman), Dr. C.D. Ou (SecretaryGeneral)

11th Conference in Singapore (1993)
Prof. S.L. Lee (Chairman), Dr. K.Y. Yong (Secretary)

12th Conference in Kuala Lumpur (1996)
Dr. Ooi Teik Aun (Chairman), J.T.F. Wong (Secretary)

13th Conference in Taipei (1998)
Dr. ZaChieh Moh (Chairman)

14th Conference in Hong Kong (2001)
Dr. A. Malone (Chairman)

15th Conference in Bangkok (2004)
Dr. S. Sambhandaraksa (Chairman), Dr. T. Boonyatee (Secretary)

16th Conference in Kuala Lumpur (2007)
Dr. Ooi Teik Aun ( Chairman ), Yee Yew Weng ( Secretary )

Asian Regional Conferences are held once in four years. Dr. Za Chieh Moh and Dr. E.W. Brand actively participated in the 3rd Asian Regional Conference held in Haifa, Israel in 1967. The 4th Asian Regional Conference was hosted by the Society in Bangkok in 1971. It was one of the most successful Asian Regional Conferences and was attended by over 500 participants. Drs. Za Chieh Moh, E.W. Brand and A.S. Balasubramaniam attended the 5thAsian Regional Conference held in 1975 in Bangalore, India. The 6th Asian Regional Conference on Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering was held in Singapore in July 1979. Dr. Tan Swan Beng served as Chairman of the Organizing Committee. Prof. Peter Lumb and Prof. A.S. Balasubramaniam attended the 7th Asian Regional Conference on Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering held in Haifa, Israel in 1983. SEAGS also hosted the following regional conference in Asia:

9th Asian Regional Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering was held in Bangkok, 1991

12th Asian Regional Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering was held in Singapore, 2003

The Society members also have participated actively in the International Conferences organized by ISSMFE/ISSMGE. Dr. Za Chieh Moh, Dr. E.W. Brand and Dr. John D. Nelson attended the 7th International Conference in Mexico City in 1969. Dr. Za Chieh Moh was also the Chairman of a Specialty Session on Lateritic Soils. the twovolume Proceedings of that session continue as a useful reference on the engineering behaviour of laterites. Society members also participated in the th International Conference held in Moscow in 1973. Prof. Chin Fung Kee, Dr. Za Chieh Moh, Dr. E.W. Brand and Dr. John D. Nelson attended and presented papers at that important conference. In the 9th ICSMFE held in Tokyo in 1977, Dr. Za Chieh Moh served as the Chairman of the Specialty Session on Geotechnical Engineering and Environmental Control. Prof. Peter Lumb and Dr. A.S. Balasubramaniam were panelists in the Main Session on Slope Stability and Stress Deformation of Soils. In the 10th ICSMFE held in Stockholm in 1981, Dr. Za Chieh Moh served as Chairman of the Session on Environmental Control and Dr. A.S. Balasubramaniam and Dr. E.W. Brand served as panelists. Dr. E.W. Brand will serve as a Theme Leader in the forthcoming San Francisco Conference in 1985. Dr. Za Chieh Moh, the founder President of the Society served as the Vice President of ISSMFE for the period 1969 to 1973. The Society is fortunate to have Prof. Chin Fung Kee serving as the Vice President of ISSMFE from 1981 until the San Francisco Conference in 1985. Prof. A.S. Balasubramaniam served as Vice President for IAEG from 1978-1982 and Vice President for Asia of ISSMGE from 1994-1997. Dr. Ou Chin Der served as the Vice President of International Society of Rock Mechanics from 1995 to 1999. The valuable contributions received by the Society from these Vice Presidents are gratefully acknowledged. The Southeast Asian Geotechnical Society has always valued the attendance of its office bearers at the Executive Committee meetings of ISSMFE, IAEG and ISRM. Attendance at Executive Committee meetings was as follows:

7th ICSMFE in Mexico (1969)
Dr. ZaChieh Moh
Dr. John D. Nelson

8th ICSMFE in Moscow (1973)
Dr. ZaChieh Moh
Dr. John D. Nelson

Istanbul Conference (1975)
Dr. ZaChieh Moh

9th ICSMFE in Tokyo (1977)
Prof. Peter Lumb
Prof. A.S. Balasubramaniam

3rd IAEG Congress and Council (1978)
Prof. A.S. Balasubramaniam
Meeting in Madrid

4th ISRM Conference and Council (1979)
Prof. A.S. Balasubramaniam
Meeting in Montreux, Switzerland

10th ICSMFE in Stockholm (1981)
Dr. E.W. Brand
Prof. A.S. Balasubramaniam

4th IAEG Congress and Council (1983)
Dr. E.W. Brand
Meeting in New Delhi, India

5th ISRM Conference and Council (1983)
Prof. Yudhbir
Meeting in Melbourne, Australia

11th ICSMFE in San Francisco (1985)
Dr. Z.C. Moh
Prof. A.S. Balasubramaniam

12th ICSMFE in Rio de Janiero (1989)
Dr. Z.C. Moh
Prof. A.S. Balasubramaniam

13th ICSMFE in New Delhi (1994)
Dr. Z.C. Moh
Prof. K.Y. Yong

14th ICSMFE in Hamburg (1997)
Dr. Z.C. Moh
Dr. T.A. Ooi

15th ICSMGE in Istanbul (2001)
Dr. Z.C. Moh
Dr. John Li

16th ICSMGE in Osaka (2005)
Prof. K.Y. Yong
Prof. D.T. Bergado

Dr. Za Chieh Moh attended the Executive Committee meeting in Tokyo in 1977 as the Vice President of ISSMFE for Asia and the Stockholm meeting in 1981 as the Chairman of an ISSMFE Subcommittee. Prof. Chin Fung Kee has attended several of the Executive Committee meetings of ISSMFE since he became theVice President of ISSMFE for Asia in 1981. The expenses related to the attendance of the Executive Committee meetings are not borne by our Society nor ISSMFE, IAEG or ISRM. In addition to the active participation of the Society in the Regional and International Conferences, Society members also have taken an active role in the work of the various committee of ISSMFE. Among various committee that the Southeast Asian Geotechnical Society has sponsored is the ISSMFE Technical Committee on Sampling and Testing of Residual Soils. this covered the period 1981 to 1985. The Chairman and Secretary of this Technical Committee were Dr. E.W. Brand and Mr. H.B. Phillipson respectively, both of the Geotechnical Control Office, Hong Kong. The main work of the committee was to publish a volume entitled Sampling and Testing of Residual Soils – A Review of International Practice. This contains stateoftheart reports from 18 countries and has proven to be a valuable reference for engineers concerned with residual soils. The Society Journal is published semiannually and the editorial work is handled by the Division of Geotechnical and Transportation Engineering at AIT. Currently, the editorial work is handled by the staff of the Asian Center for Soil Improvement and Geosynthetics (ACSIG) of AIT. The editors of the journal are as follows:

1970-1973 Dr. E. W. Brand

1974-1976 Dr.E.W. Brand, Prof.A.S. Balasubramaniam

1977-1978 Dr. E.W. Brand, Dr. V.K. Campbell

1978-1980 Dr. V.K. Campbell

1980-1985 Mr. J.S. Younger

1986-1987 Mr. D R Greenway

1988-1989 Mr. PGD Whiteside

1990-1995 Mr. CAM Franks

1996-2001 Prof. D.T. Bergado

2002- present Dr. N. Phienwej

In addition to the regular Society conferences, symposia and courses, a number of interesting topics have been organized by AIT in association with the Society. These symposia have now become very popular because of their direct relevance and usefulness to practicing engineers. A list of these symposia is given below:

1. International Symposium on Soft Clay in 1977
2. Symposium on Geotechnical Aspects of Highway Engineering in 1979
3. International Conference on Engineering for Protection from Natural Disasters in January 1980
4. International Symposium on Large Dams in December 1980
5. Symposium on Modern Developments in Underground Works in May 1981
6. Symposium and Short Course on Coastal and Offshore Structures in December 1981
7. Symposium and Short Course on Soil and Rock Improvements in November-December 1982
8. Symposium and Short Course on Laboratory and Field Tests and Analysis of Geotechnical Problems in December 1983
9. Symposium and Specialty Session on Mass and Material Transportation in December 1984.
10. Environmental Geotechnics and Problematic Soils and Rocks (1985)
11. Computer Aided Design and Physical Modelling Using Centrifuge (1986)
12. Ninth Southeast Asian Geotechnical Conference (1987)
13. Restoration and Maintenance of Infrastructures and Historical Monuments (1988)
14. Developments in Laboratory and Field Tests in Geotechnical Engineering Practice (1989)
15. Embankments, Excavations and Buried Structures (1990)
16. First Asian Young Geotechnical Conference(1991)
17. Ninth Asian Regional Conference on Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering (1991)
18. Symposium on Prediction Versus Performance and Workshops on Computer Applications and Ground Improvements (1992)
19. International Short Course on Evaluation of Design Parameters From Laboratory Tests(1993)
20. Training Course on Construction Quality Control for Sea Dykes(1993)
21. Symposium on Developments in Geotechnical Engineering (From Harvard to New Delhi 1936 – 1994 (1994)
22. International Conference on Deep Foundations and Ground Improvements (1994)
23. Southeast Asian Symposium on Tunnelling and Underground Space Development (1995)
24. International Course on Natural Hazards and Environmental Geotechnics (1995)
25. International Course on Numerical Analysis in Geotechnical Engineering (1996)
26. International Course on Estimation of Design Parameters for Soils and Rocks (1996)
27. International Course on Problematic Soils and Ground Improvement Techniques (1996)
28. International Course on Advanced Geotechnical Analysis (1997)
29. Geotechnical Hazards and Dam Construction (1997)
30. 30th Year Anniversary Symposium on Deep Foundations, Excavations, Ground Improvements and Tunneling, Bangkok, Thailand (1997)
31. Civil and Environmental Engineering Conference New Frontiers & Challenges Conference, Bangkok, Thailand (1999)
32. GeotechYear 2000 Conference, Bangkok, Thailand (2000)
33. International Symposium on Ground Improvement and Geosynthetic Applications (2001)
34. International Seminar on Geoenvironmental Engineering: Assessment and Remediation of Contaminated Sites (2002)
35. International Symposium and ShortCourse on Soil/Ground Improvement and Geosynthetics in Waste Containment Applications (2003)
36. Au Geo Pile/Beau Drain System and Geosynthetics Applications Seminar (2004)
37. PreConference Short Course on Dam Safety Risk Assessment (2004)
38. 15th Southeast Asian Geotechnical Conference (2004)
39. International Symposium on Tsunami Reconstruction with Geosynthetics (2005)
40. International Symposium on Geotechnical Aspects of Second Bangkok International Airport (2006)

The Southeast Asian Geotechnical Society founded in 1967 by Dr. Za Chieh Moh has indeed made very significant contributions to the development of geotechnics in Southeast Asia and elsewhere. This, of course, could not have been achieved without the hard work and generous efforts put forward by our members, supporters and participants of conferences, symposia and short courses. Among these, the contributions from the Past Presidents and General Committee members should be gratefully acknowledged and documented.

Today the Southeast Asian Geotechnical Society (SEAGS) is a regional society covering Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Taiwan. It has been generally accepted that it is advantageous to form a Federation of Southeast Asian Geotechnical Societies so as to include those members who have left SEAGS to join the ISSMGE as direct members. In this way they can continue to work closely with the SEAGS in matters of common interest and the geotechnical development, advancement and achievements of geotechnical engineering in the Southeast Asian region. As a forerunner of the Federation Concept, the MGC 2004 was held in Kuala Lumpur with the help of Prof. K.Y. Yong, Prof. A. S. Balasubramanium, Dr. Ting Wen Hui, Dr.Chan Sin Fatt, Dr. Ooi Teik Aun and others. Short course on practical use of Q system was run in conjunction with the International Conference and Exhibition on Tunnelling and Trenchless Technology held in KualaLumpur in 2006 by Dr. N. Barton,the originator ofQ system through the good office of Prof. Balasubramanium.

Contributed by
Professor A. S. Balasubramanium
Professor Dennes T. Bergado
Engr. Dr. Ooi Teik Aun