Singapore's disaster aid agencies have swung into action to help
the victims of the Central Java earthquake which killed some 4,600
people and injured thousands more.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong conveyed Singapore's deepest
condolences to the families of the victims in a telephone
conversation with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on
Saturday evening.
Mr Lee also offered humanitarian relief assistance, which includes
US$50,000 worth of emergency supplies.
Meanwhile teams from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and the
Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) have arrived in Indonesia to
start relief work.
The SCDF's 43-member contingent is led by Major Anwar Abdullah and
will include men from the Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team
(DART), medical personnel and three search dogs.
Their team leader says the men's morale is very high and they are
ready to execute their mission.
The team is made up of personnel who are experienced and new to
disaster missions.
They come under the codename Operation Lion Heart which is a
round-the- clock standby contingent equipped to support countries
stricken by major disasters.
Major Anwar Abdullah said: "I was in Nias during the North Sumatran
earthquake, so it is going to be the same environment where there
will be a lot of casualties. We have been monitoring the incident
and the numbers are quite worrying.
"This time around we bring along a platoon-load of rescue
capabilities, rescue dogs, cutting and lifting equipment and
detection devices.
"Every disaster has a different challenge, it's a different
environment altogether. We can see it's a densely populated area.
The area is very big, so it will pose us a different
challenge."
On its part, the SAF is sending a 35-member medical team to the
quake-hit area.
LTC Mohd Ramezan, SAF team leader for the Central Java mission,
said: "What we are providing is primary healthcare, the provision
of medical assistance for fractures, those found in accidents and
emergency cases. The team will be there as long as we can make a
useful contribution to the TNI authorities."
The two teams were sent off by the Chief of Defence Force
Lieutenant General Ng Yat Chung and Civil Defence Commissioner
James Tan.
The teams will be working closely with the Indonesian authorities
as well as international organisations and NGOs to administer
medical assistance.
Besides these two teams, Singapore is also providing US$50,000
worth of emergency supplies including medical supplies, blankets
and tents to be despatched to the affected area. - CNA/ir
Who's that chio girl? 
A heart of gold and bigger and braver are the souls...aptly the
heart of Lions, aka, Lion's Heart. 
