Singapore - Singapore`s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Tuesday that his country is ready to dispatch Disaster Assistance Rescue Teams and medical doctors to Myanmar if necessary.
Lee made the offer in a letter to his Myanmar counterpart General Thein Sein.
Lee said Singapore will also contribute a humanitarian assistance package of 200,000 U.S. dollars to help the people of Myanmar tide over this difficult period.
The prime minister said he was "shocked and saddened to learn of the great loss of lives and extensive damage" after Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar and killed more than 15,000 people over the weekend.
On behalf of the government and people of Singapore, Lee extended "condolences to the families and friends of the victims, with the hope that they will find strength to recover from their grief and loss".
Singapore`s Foreign Minister George Yeo also sent a letter to his Myanmar counterpart U Nyan Win on Monday to convey his sympathies and Singapore`s offer of help.
Singapore is the current chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), of which Myanmar is a member. ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan on Tuesday appealed all member states and the international community to offer urgent relief assistance to Myanmar.
Source: news.xinhuanet.com (7 Mei 2008)
