Naypyidaw: Fifty members of the Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART) left for Naypyidaw, Myanmar, this morning on a humanitarian aid mission and to participate in the search and rescue (SAR) operations for earthquake victims. The SMART team, which is under the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA), along with SAR equipment-including two five-ton trucks and a four-wheel-drive vehicle-departed in two Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) A400M aircraft, which took off from the RMAF Subang Air Base at 9.30 am and 10 am, respectively.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the team is led by contingent commander Senior Superintendent of Fire 1 (PgKB 1) Mohamad Hafiezul Abdul Halim and comprises 16 personnel from the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF), 13 from the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), and 21 from the Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM). Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi stated that the mission is expected to last between seven and 14 days, depending on the needs and situation.
“Driven by a sense of humanity and strong ASEAN solidarity, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, along with Malaysia as the ASEAN Chair for 2025, are very sympathetic to what is happening in Myanmar and have taken immediate action by mobilising the SMART team,” said Ahmad Zahid at a press conference during the send-off. The team also brought medical equipment, with hopes that this assistance will accelerate SAR operations in disaster-affected areas alongside international rescue teams from other countries.
Present at the send-off were Army Chief General Datuk Mohd Nizam Jaffar, NADMA Director-General Datuk Khairul Shahril Idrus, SMART Commander PgKB 1 Mohd Khairul Jamil, and Myanmar Ambassador to Malaysia Aung Soe Win. Ahmad Zahid, who also chairs the Central Disaster Management Committee, mentioned that Malaysia’s SAR efforts are primarily focused on Myanmar due to the severe impact of the disaster there, compared to Thailand.
He added that if there is a need to deploy additional SMART personnel, discussions will take place with the Myanmar Embassy, as well as coordination with NADMA and Wisma Putra. When questioned about the possibility of special Aidilfitri aid for SMART personnel involved in the mission, he said the matter would be discussed with the Prime Minister.
The earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.7, struck the Southeast Asian country on Friday, severely impacting areas such as Mandalay, Bago, Magway, northeastern Shan state, Sagaing, and Naypyidaw, as well as neighboring Thailand. As of yesterday, the death toll from the disaster in Myanmar had reached nearly 2,000, with thousands more injured and hundreds still missing.