The SAF Medical Team has set up a mobile medical clinic in Koto Bangko, a town about 20 km northeast of Pariaman, to provide medical assistance in the more remote areas affected by the earthquake. The clinic is manned by three doctors and five medics from the SAF, as well as a doctor and a medic from the Indonesian Defence Forces (TNI). Since this morning, the clinic has already treated 84 patients from the outlying areas.

Giving an update on the medical clinic's operations in Koto Bangko, LTC (Dr) Colin Teo, head of the SAF surgical team, said: "More cases are still coming in and most of these patients have very badly infected wounds. We are doing all we can to give them the best medical care."

Joining the 54-strong SAF Medical Team at its medical facility in Pariaman from Padang today were a doctor and two paramedics from the Singapore Civil Defence Force medical team. The SAF team at the Pariaman Public Hospital has attended to a total of 244 A & E cases and performed 30 surgeries since commencing operations on Sunday.

Is there any update whether SAF gonna deploy some helicopters?? Have been reading reports that many remote villages have not been receiving aid for nearly a week since the roads were destroyed making it nearly impossible for vehicles to access..

what has perplexed me about the response to the earthquake is the fact that we only sent two SCDF teams, and even they were delayed for 24 precious hours by the Indonesians.

It also does not take a genius to know that many remote towns and villages will be hit and become inaccessible due to road failures. The Indonesians does not have the helos to reach these people from Medan or wherever else they can be based.

I am certain by virtue of faith that the SAF would have geared up for a relief effort along the lines of Op. Flying Eagle, including forward deploying heavy lift helos and possibly LSTs so that relief materials can be deployed within short flying distances from these remote areas. Based on the news that are now coming out, many many remote communities did not receive relief for the entire week.

Now why there was no escalation of our relief efforts, and here I would assume some form of refusal from the Indonesians. Any comments or thoughts?

My understanding was that the initial delay by the SCDF team was due to the Indonesian side saying they were not ready...

I seriously hope SAF doesn't think that OFE was an over-reaction, and that this time around doesn't warrant more resources to be committed. If we have already prepared them, we should be hearing it in the news right? Mercy relief ops under preparation shouldn't fall into the category of 'classified' rite? :blink:

I don't think that anybody thinks that OFE was an overreaction. However, just because OFE was a success doesn't necessarily mean that we should or are obliged to repeat it for every humanitarian disaster. There are many factors determining why and how we contribute humanitarian aid.

True...but it'll be nice to know why choppers weren't part of the deployment...

From the Straits Times forum -
http://www.straitstimes.com/ST%2BForum/Sto...ory_439949.html

Sad Singapore story out of Padang, in two parts...

I WAS one of 11 Singaporeans caught in the Padang quake while we were in Sumatra for a photography trip. Our priority was to get the first flight back to Singapore on Sept 30.

As Tiger Airways had a scheduled flight the next day, we called to ask if we could get on the flight. We called repeatedly, but to no avail.

Although we heard that all flights were cancelled on Oct 1, we went to the airport anyway and were surprised that other commercial flights were operating as usual.

We managed to get 11 tickets from AirAsia, although we were booked to fly out on Tiger on Oct 3. We had no choice as there was not a soul at Tiger's booth at Padang airport. But that was not the end of our Singapore story. After we had booked our Air-Asia tickets, we received a call from a representative from the Singapore Embassy asking us if we wanted to be evacuated from Padang by a Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) plane, which was leaving Padang at about 8.30pm on Oct 1. We gladly accepted the offer and arrived at the airport an hour before the scheduled departure.

But no RSAF plane was in sight. At 9pm, we received a call telling us the plane was circling in the air for three hours waiting for approval to land. Just before midnight, another call informed us that the evacuation had to be aborted because approval to land was not given.

After our arrival in Singapore, we were told that the plane did not even take off that day. We are puzzled as to why we were told the plane was in the air for three hours, and hope the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will enlighten us.

William Teo

Hmm.. curiouser and curiouser.

I intuit the answer: the plane did indeed circle Padang for a long time (maybe not 3 hours but "long"), and finally had to turn back. when queried by the press we decided not to mention the fact that the planes were already there since it will embarrass Indonesia, and bring criticism upon ourselves for being siao-on or kiasu.

Personally I would like it if our planes really did circled overhead for hours.

Yeah we being singaporean are kiasi I think e embassy staff won't dare to say 830pm flight if they are not sure

Something is not right, the RMAF did a troop lift from Subang to Padang for the Malaysian studying in Padang using C130.

is that the RMAF C-130 that kenna stone?

Either way I will be very interested to read the MFA or MINDEF response to this.

The RMAF C130 civilian lift was last week when the USAF Thunderbirds were in Malaysia.

well the MFA PAFF says the charlies were in PLAB waiting for take-off and were never circling.

SAF Engineering Team to Construct Medical Clinics in Padang and Pariaman

A 30-member engineering team from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) arrived this afternoon in Padang in two Republic of Singapore Air Force C-130 aircraft. Led by MAJ Benjamin Heok, the SAF engineering team will construct two buildings, one in Padang Pasir, Padang, and another in Koto Bangko, Pariaman, which the Indonesian authorities will use to replace two medical clinics that collapsed near the same locations during the earthquake. The clinics, each measuring 6 metres by 12 metres, are modular structures made of iron and aluminium with insulated panels that can last up to five years. The SAF team will use heavy equipment provided by the Indonesian Defence Forces and work closely with them in the construction of the clinics. The two clinics will be completed and handed over to the Indonesian authorities within a week.

Source:
http://www.mindef.gov.sg/imindef/news_and_...10oct09_nr.html

Photos just out on CyberPionner's Flickr photostream...as well as an accompanying YouTube vid...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2FzuQxm99s...yer_profilepage

new face Sheena Tan! and a T-shirt with a cheery disposition as well! her reporting feels quite odd tho, can't put a finger on it :P wonder if she'll be doing an embed with the Engineers...

Hmm I might be nitpicking a little but the wearing of the armbands is inconsistent, sometimes on the right and sometimes on the left shoulder. When worn on the right shoulder, the flag is not reversed, unlike the reversed Singapore flag markings on the right side of the C-130.
Good to hear that an effort was made to speak clear english though ;)

Here's a video of the TNI and the SAF's engineers assembling one of the 2 modular buildings (which will function as clinics), at 2 locations in Indonesia. These modular buildings will be handed over to the Indonesians within a week.

YouTube - Putting the Pieces Together

This is their second day on-site and you can see the progress. I like the fact that the aid given arrived fast and serves mainly to augment Indonesian efforts at rebuilding.

the videos have been put up pretty regularly, with day to day updates (tho I feel it could get more informative)...is cyberpioneer under MINDEF PAFF? B)

The cyberpioneerTV channel is an initiative by Ministry of Defence, Singapore. Through the YouTube platform, they hope to introduce and share defence videos with the international community.. This is stated in the cyberpioneerTV youtube channel profile..

http://www.youtube.com/user/cyberpioneertv

Yup, also known as peacetime propaganda department. :P

ah, so Pioneer mag falls under PAFF as well huh...sorry, for now I know PAFF for more than just a propoganda department B)

Today's Update - Construction of Medical Clinics in Pariaman and Padang Making Good Progress

Since commencing operations on 11 Oct, the 30-member SAF engineering team has made good progress in the construction of two medical clinics in Padang Pasir, Padang and Koto Bangko, Pariaman, to replace the two that had collapsed during the earthquake. The SAF team has completed ground preparations and built support structures for the clinics. Over the next three days, the SAF team and Indonesian Defence Forces (TNI) personnel will be installing the wall panels, roofs, electrical works and interior furnishing of the clinics at the two sites. The two clinics are expected to be completed and handed over to the Indonesian authorities within the week.

Over at the Pariaman Public Hospital, the medical situation is stabilising, with fewer Accident & Emergency (A & E) cases being treated by the SAF medical team. The situation is also stabilising at the mobile medical clinic in Koto Bangko, set up by the SAF team to provide primary healthcare in the more remote areas affected by the earthquake. Head of the SAF Medical Team LTC (Dr) Mohamad Rosman said: "When we started operations at the Pariaman Public Hospital more than a week ago, we treated many patients who had earthquake-related injuries. The numbers have reduced over the past few days and what we are seeing now are mainly non-earthquake-related cases like breathlessness and other common ailments." Since starting operations on 4 Oct, the 54-strong SAF medical team in Pariaman has attended to about 980 A & E cases and performed a total of 91 surgeries.

Source:
Mindef News Release

Youtube Video - Piece by piece, for a common good

I just saw the vid, is it fair to say that CFCs are most likely NSFs?

Anyways its good to have MINDEF update us regularly...but I hope this doesn't become a mere progress report... some elaboration on materials and methods used would be nice :P

I've checked that the News Videos uploaded by cyberpioneerTV & Mindef respectively are slightly different.. Mindef's News Video (in Mindef Webpage) is slightly longer which covered the progress update of the SAF Medical Team as well..

wow...why the discrepancy? youtube viewers don't like medical news? :P frankly I don't see the point of having a difference...

hope this is not another case of Blue on Blue... :ph43r:

I noticed yesterday that cyberpioneerTV posted its video on youtube about 1 hour or so earlier than Mindef's.. Maybe cyberpioneerTV may change their video version later today, I guess.. ;)

Haha I think CJ has created a meme here. I think it is just a lack of co-ordination between different departments?

Might have something to do with the maximum video length of 9:59 in youtube.

but the relief effort vids all hardly hit 2 mins lehs :(

Yeah man.. too short, they could have elaborate a little bit more.. But on the bright side, we get to see visual updates on a more or less regular basis.. When I share those humanitarian relief work videos by SAF & SCDF in a Malaysian military thread, the forumers in there don't have updates of their own MAF medical team & SMART team in West Sumatra, only the same old news articles of Malaysian aid not being accepted by some Indonesian village chief on the excuse that the supplies were purchased using tax money from Genting Highlands casino & therefore not "halal"..

I wonder will the Indonesians accept Singapore aid when our IRs turn operational in the future..

16/10/2009: SAF Completes Humanitarian Assistance Operations in Pariaman and Padang

Source of the above article:
Mindef News Release - SAF Completes Humanitarian Assitance Operations in Pariaman and Padang

CyberpioneerTV video:
SAF Completes Humanitarian Assitance Operations in Pariaman and Padang

CyberPioneer doesn't have much photos on the completion...but its been quite some time since the event was announced...

Maybe the webmasters are having a break or something..

Our guys in Green are back from West Sumatra..

It is homecoming day, and tears of joy and laughter greet 84 Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) soldiers, who have returned home from their relief efforts in West Sumatra.. Video as follows:

Welcome Home!