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The tsunami disaster in Sri Lanka and other Indian Ocean rim countries attracted a very high degree of international attention and evoked an enormous outpouring of compassion and international assistance to the affected countries, including Sri Lanka. The scale of the devastation caused was so great that all relief contributions were welcome. India was a key player in this major international humanitarian effort in Sri Lanka and other affected countries and was, alongwith the United State, a member of the Core Group that coordinated relief in the initial phases.
The Indian Navy launched “Operation Rainbow” the day the tsunami struck. The first Indian naval Dornier carrying 650 Kg. Of medical supplies and a medical team arrived in Sri Lanka on December 26 itself. Almost simultaneously, four Indian naval ships steamed towards the ports of Galle and Trincomalee. These vessels, which picked up relief supplies on the way, reached Sri Lanka just over 24 hours afterwards and immediately commenced relief and damage control operations. This deployment was stepped up to include stationing of an air detachment of ten aircraft for three weeks, about fifteen naval ship-loads of supplies, fifteen medical teams including a mobile field hospital (140 men) that was airlifted and specialist doctors, a 45-bed hospital ship (INS Jamuna) that was anchored of Galle and Trincomalee for two weeks, ten teams of naval divers and a 81-member composite Army disaster management team.
Sri Lankan President Kumaratunga, Prime Minister Rajapakse and several Sri Lankan Ministers have expressed the gratitude of the people of Sri Lanka for Indian assistance. President Kumaratunga also dispatched Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar as Special Envoy to thank India for its generous contribution to the relief efforts.
The above information was given to Rajya Sabha today by the Minister of State for External Affairs, Shri E. Ahamed while replying to a question by Smt. Jaya Bachchan.
AK/SK/JA
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