Yangon: The special Sri Lankan Medical and Humanitarian Assistance Disaster Relief Team for Myanmar arrived at Yangon International Airport on Saturday. This special team of tri forces personnel left the island with a stock of medical supplies and humanitarian aid, following a presidential instruction by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and under the supervision of Defence Secretary, Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retd).

According to Ministry of Defence – Sri Lanka, the Sri Lankan Ambassador to Myanmar received the SL contingent at the airport, accompanied by Myanmar state dignitaries. These included 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 Border Affairs Minister, U Zaw Phyo Win, Director General of the Strategic Studies and Training Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and U Than Soe, Director of the Department of Disa
ster Management of the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement.

The Yangon Chief Minister expressed appreciation for Sri Lanka’s initiative in providing emergency assistance, highlighting the long-standing friendship between the two countries.

The Sri Lankan Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and the Secretary to the MFA played a crucial role in facilitating and coordinating the diplomatic arrangements for the mission.

The SL team will be deployed in disaster-hit areas for humanitarian assistance and relief work in Nay Pyi Taw, the administrative capital. Myanmar was recently affected by a major earthquake measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale.