REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, CHITTAGONG -- Two C-130 Hercules planes of the Indonesian Air Force carrying humanitarian aid for Rohingya refugees, are expected to arrive in Bangladesh on Friday.
The two planes were sent on second and third sorties respectively, Air Commodore Nanang Santoso, commander of the Civic Mission Task Force of the Indonesian Air Force (TNI AU), said at Hazrat Shah Amanat airport, here, Thursday evening.
Carrying rice, family kits and emergency logistics, among other things, the aircraft made transit in Banda Aceh, Aceh Province, while waiting for permits to enter Bangladesh.
The TNI AU has been assigned to deliver Indonesia's humanitarian aid for Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh, in coordination with the Indonesian embassy in Dhakka and the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).
"We will carry out the task until it completes, in accordance with the mandate given by the Indonesian government and people," Santoso said.
Previously, the TNI AU had deployed two Hercules that landed in Chittagong on Thursday at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. local time respectively. They carried among other things emergency tents, blankets, rice and sugar.
Also read: Four helicopters to carry aid for Rohingyas in Bangladesh
Indonesian Ambassador to Bangladesh Rina Soemarno officially handed over the assistance to Chittagong District Commissioner Md Zillur Rahman Chowdhury.
The Bangladeshi government passed on the aid to humanitarian organizations volunteering to distribute the aid to refugees.
"We prioritize the dispatch of these goods, as they are badly needed now, including emergency tents, as shelters are a huge challenge facing the refugees," Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno LP Marsudi said in Jakarta, recently.
In total, four Hercules aircraft of the Indonesian Air Force have transported the aid to Bangladesh so far.
The Indonesian Air Force is also ready to deploy more Hercules aircraft to carry humanitarian aid from Jakarta and Banda Aceh, Aceh Province, every day.
Banda Aceh has been designated as a transit base camp for dispatching humanitarian aid to Citagong Airport in Bangladesh.
The first dispatch comprised aid from the Indonesian government. However, the government has also received several offers from other parties to provide goods to Rohingya, and they might be dispatched next.
"We are receiving them and will dispatch them. Hence, synergy among the government, community, mass organizations, and regional governments, among others, is crucial. We dispatch it under one name - Indonesia," she said.
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