MEULABOH, Indonesia : The RSS Persistence, Singapore's second
landing ship tank off the coast of Meulaboh, has received the first
Chinooks on board.
This will greatly help to beef up the Singapore Armed Forces relief
operations in the worst-hit part of Aceh.
The Chinooks will be able to fly in supplies for the mainland - as
there has been a delay in setting up a landing site on the mainland
itself.
The Commanding Officer of the RSS Persistence, Lieutenant-Colonel
Eddie Tang, said the LST had supplies for nearly a month, and that
it may return to Singapore earlier to gather more supplies for the
RSS Endurance - which is the main command ship for the entire
operations.
The RSS Persistence has also brought with it supplies donated by
the Singapore Red Cross for the people of Meulaboh.
Two ships from the United States are also expected to join in the
humanitarian relief operations.
The Commander of the SAF Task Force, Colonel Tan Chuan-Jin, met
senior officials to coordinate the relief efforts. - CNA