The special Sri Lankan Medical and Humanitarian Assistance Disaster Relief Team for Myanmar arrived in Yangon International Airport on Saturday (April 05). This special team of tri forces personnel left the island yesterday with a stock of medical supplies and humanitarian aid, in a special flight following a presidential instruction by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and under the supervision of the Defence Secretary, Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retd).
According to Sri Lankan embassy sources, the Sri Lankan Ambassador to Myanmar, received the SL contingent at the airport accompanied by Myanmar state dignitaries, including U Soe Thein, Chief Minister of Yangon Region, U Bo Htay, Chairman of the Yangon City Development Committee (Mayor), U Htay Aung, Yangon Region Social Affairs Minister, Colonel Win Tint, Yangon Region Security and Boarder Affairs Minister, U Zaw Phyo Win, the Director General Strategic Studies and Training Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and U Than Soe, Director of Department of Disaster Management of the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement.
The Yangon Chief Minister highly appreciated Sri Lanka’s initiative in sending emergency assistance at this hour of need, and said that this important undertaking by Sri Lanka, underscores the long-standing close bond of friendship between the two countries.
The Sri Lankan Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and Secretary to the MFA played a crucial role in facilitating and coordinating diplomatic arrangements for the mission.
The SL team will be deployed in disaster hit areas for humanitarian assistance and relief work from to Nay Pyi Taw, the administrative capital. Myanmar was hit by a major earthquake measuring 7.7 in the Richter scale last week.