TAPAH: The mission to deploy medical officers to Myanmar to set up a field hospital, which was scheduled to depart yesterday, has been postponed at the request of Myanmar's authorities, says Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.
He said the Myanmar government had requested the postponement as they were still identifying a safe and strategic location for the hospital's operations, which was part of Malaysia's humanitarian aid efforts following the devastating earthquake on March 28.
"The area we are heading to is hostile and dangerous. We will be deploying many surgeons and medical teams from the Armed Forces Hospital, so their safety is our priority," he told reporters after visiting the Batu Tiga District Polling Centre here Thursday (April 17).
Mohamad said he had contacted his counterpart, U Than Swe, to convey Malaysia's stance that it would not compromise on the safety of its people.
Meanwhile, he said the humanitarian mission was not a reflection of Malaysia's recognition of the current Myanmar government but was instead aimed at helping the people affected by the catastrophe.
On April 15, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin was reported as saying that the Malaysian Armed Forces Field Hospital would be set up in Myanmar, with medical teams scheduled for deployment on Wednesday (April 16). – Bernama
