Operation Lionheart
Soon after the tsunami hit, the SCDF (Singapore Civil Defence Force) offered its assistance. A total of three contingents were deployed to Aceh and Phuket. The deployment of this overseas rescue mission, codenamed Operations Lionheart, is based on the assessment of the extent of damage in Aceh by the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) as well at the request of the Government of Thailand.
The contingents are:
- 1st Phuket Contingent (23 personnel) - departed on 29 Dec 04, Wed, at 5.20pm
- 1st Aceh Contingent (23 personnel) - departed on 29 Dec 04, Wed, at 6.00pm
- 2nd Phuket Contingent (57 personnel) - departed on 1 Jan 05, Sat, at 8.45am
Additional personnel are also attached or sent to:
- UNDAC (United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination), to assist with site assessment of priority needs and coordination of international relief operations in Aceh;
- SAF (Singapore Armed Forces) medical contingent, to provide family healthcare support such as a temporary hospital with A&E and Operating Theatre facilities to the disaster-hit Indonesia province of Aceh.
It turns out that Lionheart was not new development in response to the tsunami. In fact, it is an overseas rescue contingent maintained by the SCDF on 24-hour standby. According to their press release, "this contingent provides rescue-related assistance and support to countries that are stricken by major disasters. It was first activated during the 1990 Philippines earthquake. This was followed by deployment during the collapse of the Highlands Condominium in 1993 in Malaysia and the Taiwan earthquake in 1999."
Since their deployment, the contingents have been involved mostly in body recovery missions in Aceh and Phuket. The effects of the tsunami is such that bodies are left in the most inaccessible of places and need to be searched out. To date, the SCDF has recovered 90 bodies in Banda Aceh since operations began on 31 Dec 2004, and 14 bodies in Phuket since operations began on 30 Dec 2004. Not exactly a pleasant job, but a necessary one nevertheless.
The contingents are:
- 1st Phuket Contingent (23 personnel) - departed on 29 Dec 04, Wed, at 5.20pm
- 1st Aceh Contingent (23 personnel) - departed on 29 Dec 04, Wed, at 6.00pm
- 2nd Phuket Contingent (57 personnel) - departed on 1 Jan 05, Sat, at 8.45am
Additional personnel are also attached or sent to:
- UNDAC (United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination), to assist with site assessment of priority needs and coordination of international relief operations in Aceh;
- SAF (Singapore Armed Forces) medical contingent, to provide family healthcare support such as a temporary hospital with A&E and Operating Theatre facilities to the disaster-hit Indonesia province of Aceh.
It turns out that Lionheart was not new development in response to the tsunami. In fact, it is an overseas rescue contingent maintained by the SCDF on 24-hour standby. According to their press release, "this contingent provides rescue-related assistance and support to countries that are stricken by major disasters. It was first activated during the 1990 Philippines earthquake. This was followed by deployment during the collapse of the Highlands Condominium in 1993 in Malaysia and the Taiwan earthquake in 1999."
Since their deployment, the contingents have been involved mostly in body recovery missions in Aceh and Phuket. The effects of the tsunami is such that bodies are left in the most inaccessible of places and need to be searched out. To date, the SCDF has recovered 90 bodies in Banda Aceh since operations began on 31 Dec 2004, and 14 bodies in Phuket since operations began on 30 Dec 2004. Not exactly a pleasant job, but a necessary one nevertheless.
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