SINGAPORE — A 68-member Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) team that helped with rescue operations in quake-hit Turkey was received with thunderous applause, cheers and garlands at Changi Airport in the early hours on Saturday (Feb 18). Their 10-day mission, called Operation Lionheart, started on Feb 8 when an advanced team of 20 officers arrived at the city of Kahramanmaras...
The Straits Times
A second team, comprising 48 officers and four dogs from SCDF's K-9 unit, arrived on Feb 10 with additional equipment, medical supplies, and communication and logistics support tools. Minister for Home Affairs and Law K. Shanmugam, who was at the airport to receive the contingent, said the SCDF has been building up its capabilities since the Operation Lionheart contingent was set up in 1990.Mr Shanmugam thanked the SCDF team for their hard work amidst difficult weather conditions as the temperature was five degree Celsius in the day and dropped to -3 degree Celsius at night.
Turkish Ambassador to Singapore Mehmet Burcin Gonenli, who was also at the airport, said the magnitude and the dimensions of the catastrophe is too big for a single country to shoulder and thanked Singapore and the SCDF for stepping up. Madam Theam Ee Choon, 95, said she was very proud of her grandson Captain Nicholas Tan, 27, who served as a doctor in the team.
"I have four girls and two boys and I'll be sure to tell them stories about my time in Turkey for years to come, and for the boys to prepare for their National Service," he said.
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