Communications Adviser Major General (Retd) MA Matin who has set up field office in Barisal, said yesterday that foreign forces, including US Marines, have come to Bangladesh to serve the distressed people and will not stay a single day more than required for relief and rehabilitation work.
The Adviser, also in charge of coordinating relief and rehabilitation activities in the cyclone-affected areas, made the observations at Barisal Airport on Monday noon during a short break on his way to Barguna.

Narrating his experience gained during the 1991 cyclone, General Matin said that time also the US armed forces had stood by the affected people of this country.

“At that time we gathered experience from the US force-what they did within 10 to 12 days would have taken many more days,” he said.

“They are serving the people here. So there is no scope for any confusion or question about the aims, work and stay of the foreign forces in Bangladesh,” said General Matin, who also heads the national coordination committee on grave offences.

The post-cyclone relief operation in the Sidr battered coastal belt of the country received a new boost yesterday with the involvement of the US marines in the operation.

A Pakistani medical team led by Lt Col Shawkat of Pakistan Army was providing free medical services in the cyclone-affected area. Two Pakistan Navy ships -PNS Nasr and PNS Shahjahan - are expected to reach Chittagong today on a four-day goodwill mission they will distribute relief materials, medicines and establish water purification plants in coordination with Bangladesh Navy.
A coordination meeting on the joint relief operation of the Bangladesh and USA in the cyclone affected area was held in the Army Headquarter in the city yesterday.

Chaired by Army Chief Moeen U Ahmed, the meeting was attended, among others, from Bangladesh side by PSO of the Armed Forces Division Lt Gen Masud Uddin Chowdhury, Chief of General Staff Major General Sinha Ibne Jamali, and from US side Charge d’ Affaires US Embassy in Dhaka Geeta Pasi, and 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade Commander Brigadier General Ronald L Bailey.

A US KC-130 aircraft arrived at Zia International Airport yesterday to begin delivering more water purifying systems to the affected areas. In the coming days, the US plans to assist in the airlifting of 160 tons of goods form existing Bangladesh supplies, concerned officials said.
The USS Kearsarge continues to reach more areas with much needed fresh water. Troops from the Kearsarge used helicopters to begin airlifting 5,000 refillable 5.5 gallon (21 liters) water containers to various locations, including Dublar Char, Bagerhat and Barguna districts.

In addition, a US Army medical team which has been in country since early November providing medical support as part of a separate programme, has been deployed to the Patukhali area along with medics of the Kearsarge, to provide additional medical support to over-stretched Bangladeshi resources there.

In the coming days this medical team plans to visit four different locations in the affected area to provide medical assistance.

The USS Kearsarge, currently off the coast of Bangladesh, is playing a primary role in supporting the US assistance mission.

The USNS Concord is in the vicinity of Bangladesh and has re-supplied the Kearsarge, while the USS Essex, originally intended to support the Kearsarge, will, instead, continue with its scheduled plans, says a press release of US Embassy here.

The Pakistan army medical team set up a temporary hospital in Bhandaria Upzila under Jhalakathi district. They will provide medical services to 12 thousand cyclone affected people in the locality, reports our Barisal Correspondent.

Meanwhile the death toll from the cyclone ‘Sidr’ rose to 3,243 till 9am Monday which was 3,061 till 4:30pm Sunday, according to the statistics released by the Ministry of Disaster Management.
The ministry officials said, over 68.51 lakh people in 30 districts were affected by the nature’s fury that also left 34,508 people injured and 1,180 others missing.

It said 12 districts were hit worst by the terrible storm that left a trail of destruction, especially to standing crops, in the areas.

The damages include crops on 4,61,819 acres (completely) and 13,27,399 acres (partially), 3,65,670 houses (completely) and 8,42,657 others (partially), 1,355 educational institutions (completely) and 7,893 others (partially), 648 kms roads (completely) and 88,580 kms roads (partially), 1,654 bridges and culverts, 615 kms dams and 33,69,366 trees and plants.

ISPR in a press release said, Bangladesh Navy (BN) has geared up its ongoing relief operations for cyclone battered people at different parts of the southern districts of Bhola and Barguna.
Presently a total of 13 Bangladesh Navy ships are engaged in carrying and distributing relief materials among the victims at five upazilas in Barguna district.

Chittagong area commander and naval contingents deployed at cyclone hit areas in Bhola distributed cash and other relief materials among people on Sunday.

Similarly the members of naval contingents also distributed relief materials among 674 families in Barguna district and members of contingent are increased for supplying relief materials at remote areas of five upazilas in the district.

Members of the Bangladesh Air Force continued their relief operations at different parts of southern districts of the country.

Pakistani naval ships will be kept open for visitors on November 29 from 1500 hrs to 1630 hrs at New Mooring Container Terminal 3 and 4. Chittagong port gate CCT-1 will be used for the visitors, says the ISPR press release.

UNB adds: Four teams of US Marines started work at Southkhali and Dublarchar of Bagerhat, Bamna of Barguna and Kalapara, Rangabali and Dashmina of Patuakhali district.
They have already arranged purification and supply of drinking water with relief items and medical aid and soon will open a 125-bed hospital in Mirzaganj upazila headquarters for treatment of diarrhoea before it can spread as an epidemic.
Besides, a 104-member-strong team of Pakistan Army medical corps with ambulances, medicines and other medical equipment are working in Mathbaria, Zianagar and Patharghata upazilas and adjacent areas.

A 30-bed field hospital of the Pakistan Army has been set up with operation theatre in Bhandaria upazila town of Pirojpur district to serve the storm-stricken people of the region, the central relief and rehabilitation coordinator told his audience at the relief headquarters (Barisal).
In the Sidr-affected areas 424 medical teams are working and relief and rehabilitation works, including repair and construction of houses and communications, also going on with the help of Bangladesh Armed forces.

On the other hand, two more helicopters, carrying 2,500 gallons of drinking water, left Barisal Airport for the affected areas on Monday. Four planes of Bangladesh Armed Forces offloaded 50 tons of medicines, blankets and other relief supplies for the Sidr-distressed people the same day.
The distressed fishermen and farmers would be provided with easy-term bank loans and other help for their rehabilitation, the Adviser Matin informed.

“Any indiscipline, mismanagement, corruption, misappropriation of money and black marketing in relief works and items, hike and manipulation of price and hoarding of essential commodities would be tackled hardly,” he said on a note of caution.

After the briefing, the Adviser left Barisal Airport by a helicopter to visit the storm-ravaged areas of Barguna, one of the coastal districts worst hit by the November 15 cyclone that took a toll of several thousand people dead and devastated the country’s southwestern coastal localities.
Major General Rafiqul Islam, general commanding officer of 55 division of the army, was present during the visit.