Emergency contingency plans and methods, introduced and improvised by Sri Lankan UN peace-keeping troops, currently serving Haiti to rescue victims in the event of any potential threat of hurricanes, have won high praise from senior UN  officials and other visiting heads of missions.

A life saving craft,  specifically designed and made by Haiti-based Sri Lanka Electrical and Mechanical Engineer (SLEME) troops grabbed the focus of attention of those visitors to the Sri Lankan battalion (SRIBAT) headquartered in Leogane, Haiti under UN Peace-Keeping Mission (MINUSTAH). In addition, SRIBAT had also introduced a locally-made life saving floating jacket among hurricane-prone areas and the civil population.

Hurricanes in ruined Haitian towns of  Leogane, Miragon, Petitgoave and a long patch of area, bordering the seas are a common occurrence between mid-July and November each year, bringing further destruction to the earthquake-ravaged Haiti.

Ms Martha Lya, Head, UN Regional Office, Leogane along with  a visiting UK mission to UN, during her visit to SRIBAT Headquarters on 21 July 2010, received a comprehensive account of the SRIBAT contingency plans in place from the Commanding Officer to SRIBAT Colonel A.M.R. Dharmasiri. Sri Lankan troops launched their newly-improvised life saving craft into water and held a demonstration before them after the Commanding Officer enlightened them on SRIBAT’s ‘Disaster Mitigation Preparation’ programme, the contingency plan in the event of any hurricane emergencies, designed particularly to safeguard the IDPs sheltered in camps, local population and other UN installations around, mostly vulnerable to hurricanes.   

Similarly, a high ranking officer from the Ground Self Defence Forces in Japan visited the SRIBAT Headquarters early last week and extended his gratitude for the support, offered by Sri Lankan troops to Japanese Medical Teams and Engineer troops in the past few months for successful execution of their assignments.  

In the meantime, Mr Kevin M Kennedy, Deputy Special Representative to the UN Secretary General on Thursday (22) visited the SRIBAT Headquarters and commended Sri Lankan troops for varieties of humanitarian services, being carried out in Haiti for the restoration of earthquake-hit infrastructure, buildings, etc, provision of medical care and distribution of essential humanitarian services while tirelessly working for communal and social harmony among Haitians.      

The 12th Sri Lanka UN Peace Keeping contingent including 749 officers and soldiers from Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment (SLSR) left for Haiti on 27th June 2010. Sri Lanka has sent more than 8,000 troops for UN Peace Keeping assignments so far since the year 2004. 

Courtesy: Army.lk

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