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